Jacob's Promise
by LeahAnne
Summary: Jacob promised Bella that he would take care of her and their family. But what happens when things from their past come cropping back up? And what does Irina want with Bella? Jacob/Bella. Sequel to Jacob's Baby. Mature Audiences Only. BlackSwan, Mild Jeah
1. The Wedding

Jacob's Promise

a fan fiction by iinstantstarr

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you recognize. All belongs to the great Stephenie Meyer. I simply own the plot and the characters of Norah Black and Levi Uley. :)

A/N: _Jacob's Promise_ takes place a little over two and a half years after _Jacob's Baby. _This is the second part. I'm not sure how many sequels I will make (or if I'll even make another one after this) but I wasn't satisfied with the ending of _Jacob's Baby_ so I'm continuing it. :D I guess that makes you guys happy. LOL…

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Chapter 1 -- The Wedding

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I was a big believer in long engagements.

Then again, I was so anxious about getting married that I've made my fiancé wait a whole two years before we actually set a date for the wedding. My dad, Charlie, had two words that described me to a tee (or so he thought): indecisive tease.

Okay. So I didn't want to get married right out of high school in the first place. That was _his_ doing. Not Jacob's. The other one. The divorce was finalized rather quickly and the Cullens just disappeared. It had been two years since I'd last seen him, really any of them, and I highly doubted I'd ever see him again. I did miss him. I hoped that we could be friends. I guess that that was one of my more… _naïve _thoughts. I guess my reason for staving off the wedding in the first place was because I didn't want to be the first person to get married out of my high school just to get divorced a few months later. But I guess the constant pressure of wanting to provide an actual _family_ on paper for my daughter overcame that fear. Or maybe that was just the fact that I was falling head over heels in love with the father of my daughter more and more each day. I wasn't sure which was truer.

But at any rate, I eventually found myself standing in front of a floor-length mirror, wearing a simple, long, white, strapless wedding dress, my hair pinned up in a messy (yet elegant) bun. My make-up was done very simply. I sighed, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"I'm actually doing this again," I sighed, looking over at Emily, who was peering out the door anxiously.

"You are," she nodded. "But you love him. And you've been together for over two years. This is what you want."

"But I was with Edward for over two years. We got married and we split up! What if Jacob and I end up the same way?" I asked nervously.

"You know that's not going to happen," Emily replied, walking back over to me. "You and Jacob have a beautiful little girl together. You and Edward didn't have any children together. You know you love Jacob. I don't know why you keep telling yourself that getting married is a bad idea. I've never seen anything more right in the world. Other than Sam and I, of course," she added with a small giggle.

"That's easy for you to say," I said with a small mutter. "You and Sam are perfect for each other. You have a beautiful little boy and another one on the way. By the way, when are you going to tell him that you're pregnant?" I demanded.

"Shh!" she said, her eyes growing wide in alarm. "You promised that you wouldn't say anything!"

"I haven't. Only to you," I replied. "I just hate keeping secrets," I fumed.

"I'm trying to surprise him," she said. "He's just been busy lately and I didn't want him thinking of other stuff just yet. I want to get him when he's in a good mood," she explained.

"Why does it matter if he's in a good mood or not?" I asked. "It's Sam. Your husband. That sort of thing should _brighten_ his mood."

"Maybe," Emily said, sighing. She picked up the lilies sitting at the end table and handed them to me. "Are you ready?" she asked, grinning.

I sighed in return. "Not really. But am I ever going to be ready for something like this?" I asked her.

"You'll know," she said. "When you'll get up there, you'll know you're doing the right thing. When you see his face, giving you that look… you'll know."

"You know, I keep thinking about what Leah said," I said, shaking my head. "What if Jacob imprints? What if he leaves me and Norah and he can't help it?"

"You don't know?" Emily said, gaping at me.

"What?" I asked.

"The way Jacob looks at you…" she trailed off. "It's like he _has_ imprinted. Even Sam has said it. He wonders if Jacob imprinted on you but just never realized it."

I shrugged. "I have no idea," I said. "I'm no expert on imprinting. That's _their _thing. The only thing I can do is be supportive of it. And hope that it doesn't wreck the life that Jake and I have built together."

Emily nodded, sighing.

A soft knock at the door made me jump.

"Jacob, you know it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!" I called.

"Do those same superstitions apply to your father?" Charlie called. I could hear the broad smile in his voice.

"Dad!" I said, running over and peering around the door.

"Wow, Bells. You look beautiful," he said, pushing the door open. He was holding Sam and Emily's son, Levi.

I couldn't help but blush.

"Emily helped me," I said quietly, looking down at the dress.

"Mommy!" a small voice cried. "Me pretty too!"

Norah came barreling around Charlie's legs, a vision in white with a black bow around the center of her flower girl dress that tied in the back. Her black hair was halfway pulled back and her big brown eyes were wide with excitement.

"Yes, Norie. You _are_ pretty, too!" I smiled at her.

"Everyone is in the chapel," Charlie said. "We're just waiting on you. And Emily, of course."

"Where's Jacob?" I asked, a knot balling in my stomach.

"Waiting to greet you at the end of the aisle," Charlie replied. "Levi and Norah were scheduled to go walking down the aisle about forty-five seconds ago. Are you ready?" he asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I muttered.

"Let's go," Emily said. "Before she gets cold feet."

"Exactly how many people are out there?" I asked, my voice growing rather shrill.

"Not that many," Emily said briskly. "Let's go, already."

"Norie frow fwowers?" Norah asked, holding up a lily petal.

"Not yet," Emily told her. "You wait until you go down the aisle!"

We headed to the chapel doors and Emily opened them. She handed Norah her basket and Levi the pillow with the rings on it. She then pushed them through the doors and the music began to play.

I peeked through the doors to see Jacob standing at the end of the aisle, a huge smile on his face. God, he took my breath away. My gaze shifted to Norah heading up the aisle. She dropped a couple of flower petals on the carpet and then ran down the aisle, dragging Levi with her. She dumped the flowers at the end of the aisle.

"Norie finished!" she proclaimed to the amused audience.

Emily came down the aisle, her arm interlocked with Sam's. Emily led Norah to her side of the altar and Sam led Levi to his.

"You ready, Bells?" Charlie asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I muttered.

"Please tell me this is the last time I'll have to give you away," he murmured in my ear.

Before I could respond, the wedding march had started and Charlie had started walking me down the aisle. I groaned. There were more people here than I had thought.

We finally reached the end of the aisle and Jacob took my hand from Charlie's. He gave Charlie a broad smile and Charlie smiled back at him.

"Mommy wear dwess too!" Norah proclaimed loudly to a chuckle from the audience.

I looked at Jacob. His eyes were shining brightly with love and victory. I'd never seen Jacob look so alive… even when Norah was born. But thinking back to that day, I thought his biggest reaction was more shock and awe than being victorious.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate a new beginning, a new union…" the celebrant began. "Not only are we bringing two different cultures together, but we are also bringing a family together with matrimony."

_Matrimony_. I couldn't help but grimace. Jacob smiled at me and I knew he knew what I was thinking. He knew how much I hated the word.

I turned and realized that the celebrant was looking at me expectantly. _Oops._

"I, Isabella Marie Swan, take you, Jacob Ephraim Black, as my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live," I said quickly. _There, that wasn't so bad_, I thought.

"I, Jacob Ephraim Black, take you, Isabella Marie Swan, as my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live," he stated loudly and clearly for all to hear. He was grinning so hard that I wanted to smack him.

After the exchange of wedding bands, the celebrant smiled upon us.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss –"

He didn't even get to finish. Jacob interrupted him by grabbing me and swooping me down into a passionate kiss. Applause rang out, but Jacob didn't release me until he had to come up for air.

"Yay!" I heard Norah cry out from somewhere.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Black," the celebrant pronounced.

We headed back down the aisle, bird seed being thrown at us left and right. We headed out into the parking lot and Jacob hugged me, twirling me around in a circle and finally setting me back down, kissing me passionately.

"That was a beautiful wedding," Sue said, coming over and hugging me.

"I agree," Charlie said. "Did you see Norah dump the flowers at the end of the aisle?"

I laughed. "I did see that. She never really had much patience with flowers. It was hard enough to get her into the dress. She only wore it because I wore one."

Charlie laughed. "She's just like you like that. You never wore frilly dresses either. You did ballet. That was about it."

"I was too clumsy," I said, shrugging.

"Congratulations, baby!" Renée called, running over. Phil was behind her, smiling at me. She and Phil had come up from Jacksonville for the wedding.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, hugging her.

"Do you mind if Phil and I take Norah back to the hotel after the reception?" she asked. "We never get to spend time with her and we're never in town. I figured you and Jacob would want the house to yourselves tonight…" she trailed off.

"Sure," I said. Jacob nodded. "That's fine. We were going to have Emily watch her, but I think Norah would like to spend a little time with her Grandma Nay-Nay."

Renée gave me one last hug before disappearing to go find Norah. Jacob kissed me once more, before helping me into the car that would take us to our wedding reception.

We arrived at the resort a few minutes later. Emily had already arranged everything beforehand. I had no idea how she was able to get everything done here, get dressed for the wedding, and helped me get ready without dropping something along the line.

As we walked into the Tribal Center , I stopped in the doorway, shocked. I'd never been in here before, but Jake had told me that it was where he, Billy, Old Quil, and Sam had their tribal meetings. I didn't know much about it, but the room didn't look like a conference room. It had been decked out with pictures of Jake, Norah, and I, pictures of Norah's birth, bringing her home, her first year, our engagement portraits… I was in awe. A big buffet was on one wall and our wedding cake was on the other side of the room on a round table with a deep red tablecloth.

Jacob took in my expression and laughed. "I told you it wouldn't be that bad. This room is small enough… but not too small. And we won't have too much craziness going on, okay?" he murmured in my ear.

I smiled at him, kissing him on the cheek.

"You know I love you, right?" I asked him.

"I should hope so, considering you just married me," he laughed.

The entire evening was filled with dancing and music and family time. The only people that had showed up to the reception were Charlie, Renée, Phil, Sue, Billy, Rachel, Emily, Sam, and a few other pack members… and of course, Norah and Levi.

Sue hurried over to the piano as we walked in and started playing a soft waltz.

"May I have this dance?" Jake asked huskily.

My heart thudded still and I smiled.

"Of course," I said. "But you know I can't dance."

"I'll take my chances," Jake smiled genuinely.

He held me close to him and I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. We were soon joined by Emily and Sam, Paul and Rachel, Jared and Kim, and Renée and Phil. I closed my eyes and gently swayed to the music, Jake's arms holding me close, his body heat radiating through me like the sun's rays.

"I love you," I whispered to him.

"How could you not?" he replied, cracking a grin at me.

"Alright!" Jacob said, once Sue had finished playing. "I think it's time for some cake! And some talking!"

"Oh, come on," Sam said. "You know I'm no good at these best man speech things."

"How would I know if you were good at them if you've never been a best man before?" Jacob asked. "If I recall correctly, Jared was Paul's best man."

"True," Jared piped up.

"Oh, fine," Sam said.

Jacob led me over to the wedding cake, holding my hand. The cake was beautiful; a chocolate cake with white icing, three tiers and complete with sunflowers adorning it.

"Emily, you're a goddess," I said, shaking my head in wonder at it. "How did you plan all of this?" I asked her.

"Oh, that's nothing," she replied, grinning.

"Ahem," Sam said, clearing his throat. "I just want to say that I am so happy that you two _finally _saw what everyone on this reservation saw since Bella got to Forks." Laughter followed his remark. "And I am thrilled to have you as a sister, Bella. You and Jacob are absolutely perfect for each other and I can't imagine you two _not_ being together. Granted, it's been two and a half years since you two finally made things official, but Bella, you've made Jake so happy. I've seen him down when you two were on the outs and I've seen him up on cloud nine when things were going well. I just want to wish you all of the happiness in the world," he finished.

I couldn't help but smile. Who knew Sam could be so sweet?

"And on that note," Emily said, picking up where Sam left off. "I just want to say that I am absolutely ecstatic that you two _finally _tied the knot. I mean, I know Sam and I waited a while, but it seemed like this wedding was never going to get here. Bella, I'm so happy that you let me plan this wedding for you. It means so much to me. And I guess I want to say that I hope you two have many more happy years together. You two definitely deserve it." Emily came over and gave me a quick hug and I could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Now, if anyone's going to be crying, it should be me," I teased her. "I'm the one that should be emotional. It's my wedding day."

Everyone laughed and Emily just shook her head, smiling.

"I really am happy for you," she said, smiling.

Later that night, while Jacob and I were dancing, he lowered his head down to my ear.

"You know, I cannot wait to get you home so I can have my way with you," he murmured in my ear. His sensual voice sent shivers down my spine.

"How much longer do we have to stand here and dance?" I asked him. "Can we leave now?"

"You're really excited, huh?" Jacob asked, amused.

"No offense, but I just want to hurry up and get out of here so I don't have to continue smiling at people and being the center of attention," I sighed.

"You know, there's a certain center I bet is just begging for attention right now," Jacob whispered into my ear.

I felt a familiar throb between my thighs and moaned ever so softly into his ear.

"Can we _please_ get out of here?" I begged.

"Sure thing," Jacob said. He led me out the door and over to a motorcycle with the metal cans tied to the back of it. He climbed onto it and I climbed on behind him, tucking my dress around me. Our wedding guests followed us out of the Tribal Center , throwing bird seed at us. Jake ducked, his hands over his head.

"It's raining!" he howled. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was being entirely goofy and I loved him all the more for it.

We took off back toward the house, the sound of the cans rattling along behind us accompanied with the cheers of our wedding guests.

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Upon arriving back at the house, Jacob unlocked the door and opened it and I pushed him through it. I slammed it shut behind him, locking it, and turned around and pulled his tuxedo jacket off of him. He fumbled for the zipper to my dress and unzipped it, letting it fall down to the floor. I stepped out of it and unbuttoned his shirt enough to pull it over his head. I kicked off my kitten heels and jumped onto him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He led us toward the bedroom and laid me back on the bed. I fumbled for his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. He was already hard. I pulled him down to my level, scooting back and pulling him on top of me. He kissed me again and I deepened the kiss. The throbbing between my legs was growing nearly unbearable and I shifted, trying to alleviate the tension building there.

"Touch me, Jake," I whispered.

"Not yet," he murmured, trailing kisses down my neck.

"Please," I protested, raising my hips up toward him.

He trailed his hand down toward the waistband of my underwear and flicked it, pulling it and letting it snap back against my skin ever so slightly. I raised my hips to meet his teasing hand and he moved it back closer to my navel.

"Quit teasing," I murmured against his ear.

"I can't help it," Jacob growled. "You smell so good."

I was soaking wet. I could feel my underwear sticking to me. Obviously, Jacob noticed because before I knew what was going on, two fingers were pumping in and out of me. I gasped and began bucking up against his hand, trying desperately to find some relief from the tension that was about to drive me mad.

"Oh, God, Jacob, yes!" I moaned.

"You like that?" Jacob growled.

"Yes!" I panted. I continued writhing against his hand, trying to achieve my climax.

"Maybe I should stop then," he murmured. "I don't want you to come just yet."

"No!" I whined. "Don't stop… Jake… faster…"

Jacob picked up his speed, thrusting his fingers in and out of me. Suddenly, he stopped.

I sat there, trying to catch my breath. A few seconds later, Jacob shifted his position, his head between my legs. He slowly and deliberately slid his tongue directly over my center, causing me to shudder in pleasure. He started pushing his tongue slowly in and out of me, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. He licked up toward my clit and flicked his tongue over it almost lazily before pushing his tongue in and out of me once more. He finally sucked my clit into his mouth and ever so lightly began suckling it. My eyes rolled behind my head and I shuddered, moaning as I came.

Jacob gave me a few seconds to recover. I opened my eyes to find him watching me, a very obvious erection poking directly out at me. I came over and kissed him, trailing kisses down his neck, down his chest, down his abdomen, to his erection. I trailed kisses over it and licked the shaft all the way from base to tip. I ever so slowly enveloped him with my mouth, sucking his tip, running my tongue over it several times. I pushed it as far into my mouth as it would go. Jacob's head tilted back in ecstasy and he groaned, his eyes closed, his head facing the ceiling. I bobbed my head up and down and he groaned even louder.

"God, Bella," he moaned.

I pulled him out of my mouth and looked up into his eyes. "You like that?" I asked.

"You have no idea," he said, pinning me down and climbing on top of me. "I just want you right now."

"Right now?" I asked, looking into his pitch black eyes, dark with what I knew to be lust.

He nodded.

I didn't trust myself to speak. I simply wrapped my legs around him and positioned his member at my opening.

He pushed himself inside me quickly, filling me as only he could. He looked into my eyes as he picked up a steady rhythm. I grabbed the headboard with one hand and moaned aloud.

"Harder, Jake…" I moaned.

He used one hand to push me closer to him and began to increase the pressure of his thrusts.

"Faster!" I whimpered.

He started pounding in and out of me and I began moaning in ecstasy, little screams coming each time he thrust into me.

"Oh, Bella," he groaned, slamming into me. The headboard was slamming against the wall by this point, but I didn't care. All I cared about was this, this feeling of Jacob inside of me, Jacob groaning my name, knowing that we could do this every single day for the rest of our lives because I was his wife and he was my husband, knowing that this was all I wanted. Knowing that he could be rough with me like this, open like this, something that _he_ couldn't have done.

He shuddered above me and, suddenly, I felt him spill into me. The sensation sent me over the threshold once more and I came, calling out his name one last time.

I collapsed underneath him, moaning at the sensation of him pulling out of me. He fell to my left side, panting heavily with beads of sweat appearing at his brow. He pulled me close to him, kissing my forehead.

"That was amazing," he said, sighing.

I could only nod.

"Bella, I need to tell you something," he said.

"Can it wait?" I breathed.

"No," he said.

"Oh God, it's not bad is it?" I asked, self-consciously.

"No. Well, I hope not," he said, grinning and wrapping his arms around me to hold me close.

"What?" I asked, burrowing into his warm chest.

"I just need you to know that I love you. And that I'm never going to leave you. I might let you down, but I promise you that I will always be here for you, fighting for you, loving you, and being everything you need me to be. For both you and Norah, and for any other kids we might have down the road. I love you."

My heart nearly stopped. How sweet could Jacob be?

I responded by kissing him sweetly on the lips.

"I love you too," I said. "Can we have another go?"

Jacob laughed. "I'm being serious."

"So am I," I said, smiling at him.

"Alright," Jacob said, kissing me again and pulling me back underneath him.

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_So, here's the sequel to_ Jacob's Baby_. I'm still working on editing the future chapters. :) Much thanks to my beta, C. She's simply amazing for doing all of this for me. :D_

_Thanks for reading! Please review!_

_xoxo_


	2. First Beach

Chapter 2 -- First Beach

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Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. I'm not lucky enough to be the person who came up with that great idea. However, I WILL come up with a fantastical idea of my very own one day, so watch out! bwahaha. :P

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Sam and Emily invited Jacob and I to come to First Beach with them about a month after the wedding. We never turned down the opportunity to get the kids together to play so, of course, we packed up our fishing gear and piled it into my Mercedes (the car had been a gift from Edward and he let me keep it) and headed down to the beach. I wasn't particularly excited about this trip because I had been nauseous all day long. My stomach felt like it was full of bubbles since after breakfast.

"Fish! Fish! Fish!" Norah chanted from the backseat.

"Yes, baby, we're going fishing," Jacob said, looking in the rearview mirror at Norah, who had a big smile plastered on her face.

"Yay!" Norah said, raising her hands up in the air. She looked out the window excitedly.

"I've never seen a little girl so excited about going fishing," I said, shaking my head.

"Well, you're not exactly a girly-girl yourself," Jacob said, raising one eyebrow.

"True," I agreed, looking off toward the pier as we drew closer to the beach.

Jacob parked the car and got our fishing poles out. We headed toward the pier, Norah running out ahead of us through the sand.

In the distance, Sam was waving at us.

"Uncle Sam! Uncle Sam!" Norah called.

"Nowah!" I heard Levi call.

I couldn't help but laugh. At the age of two and a half, Levi Uley was already smitten with my daughter.

"What?" Jacob asked, looking over at me.

"It's just cute, that's all," I said, nodding toward Levi who was hopping up and down with excitement.

Jacob nodded. "It is."

We got to the pier and set our poles up. I sat Norah on my lap and I cast her pole for her. She sat holding her pole while I kept an eye on mine from afar.

Emily sat down next to me.

"Did you tell him?" I whispered.

She nodded. "I went to the doctor the other day. He says I'm nine weeks and that the baby's doing fine. We're announcing it to everyone pretty soon, but I'll bet you anything Sam mentions it to Jacob today."

I smiled. "Probably," I said, shaking my head in amusement.

"Wait! Wait!" Jacob exclaimed, diving over to his pole. He grabbed it and started reeling in.

"Go Daddy!" Norah said, clapping her hands.

Levi started jumping up and down. "Go Uncle Jake!"

He reeled in and a big fish came out of the water. My not-so-fish-savvy skills didn't know what kind it was.

"Whoa!" Norah gasped.

Jacob came over and brought the fish over to Norah. The smell from the fish wafted up toward me and I jumped up and ran to the side of the pier and vomited, regurgitating my breakfast from that morning into the shores of the Pacific.

"Gosh, Bella, are you okay?" Emily asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little nauseated. That fish stinks!" I complained, gagging.

Emily nodded. "It does," she said sympathetically.

"Ew!" Norah said, holding her nose. "Fish stinky! Mama stinky!"

Levi laughed.

"Levi Joshua Uley," Emily said sternly. "It is not nice to make fun of people! Especially your Aunt Bella!"

I sat up, my arms wrapped around my knees.

"Bells, honey, are you okay?" Jacob asked worriedly. I noticed he had put the fish away somewhere.

"I'll be fine," I croaked.

"Are you coming down with something? Do we need to go home?" he asked.

"I'm telling you, Jake. I'm fine. It's probably just something I ate," I replied, dismissing it.

"Gosh," he said. "You don't think you're pregnant or anything?"

My jaw popped open.

"Jacob, you know that's not possible. I've been on the pill and – " I broke off, blushing in embarrassment.

"Speaking of pregnant," Sam interrupted. "Did Emily tell you that we're expecting another baby?"

"No," Jacob said. "Congratulations, man!" he grinned. "That's great."

I just smiled.

Pregnant? Nah. That wasn't possible. I hadn't missed a pill at all, had I? I mean, Jacob and I had been fucking like rabbits nearly every night since the wedding, but I hadn't missed a period. If I was pregnant, wouldn't a missed period be the biggest indicator?

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" I said, clearing the thoughts from my head.

"I just asked you if you and Jacob were coming to our party next weekend," Emily repeated, looking at me strangely.

"Sure," I said, grinning at her. "Sorry, my head was a little dazed for a second."

I sat down and watched Jake and Sam fish with Levi and Norah cheering them on. Emily and I discussed the goings-on of the reservation. She and Sam were building a swing-set for Levi, who had wanted one ever since they had visited her sister, Heather's, house. She had one for her two daughters. Now that Alyson and Claire were nine and six, they didn't use it quite as much, but Heather recommended that Sam and Emily build one for Levi. It was Sam's new project.

I told Emily that everything was going well for Jacob, Norah and I. And things _were_ going well. I was enjoying my new role as a wife; it wasn't what I had expected. I had expected total domination and control like Edward had subjected me to. That's not what I got with Jacob and for that I was grateful.

Our day at First Beach eventually came to an end as it started raining. We packed up our things and the few fish that we had caught and headed back to the reservation. Sam and Emily brought Levi over to our house and we sat in the living room talking. When Norah fell asleep on the couch, I picked her up and headed toward her nursery.

"Can I ask you something?" Emily asked, following me into the nursery.

"What?"

"Are you positive that you're not pregnant?"

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" I sighed.

"It's just that normally when we go fishing it doesn't make you nauseous at all… I'm not trying to butt in or anything, but I really think you should test, Bella. Just to rule it out."

"I'm telling you that I'm not pregnant. If I really need to test to get everyone to stop thinking that, I will. I really don't want to get Jacob's hopes up. I know he wants another baby," I sighed again. "But right now, I don't want a second one. Norah's enough for me right now."

"Jacob wants another baby?" Emily asked. "I never saw Jacob being that… paternal. I mean, not until Norah was born, of course."

"I just think he feels guilty because he wasn't able to be around very much when I was pregnant with Norah," I said, catching my breath. "That's because Edward was around and things were a lot more difficult."

"Jacob also came from a slightly different family than you did," Emily reminded me. "He had two older sisters. And maybe he wants a boy, you know? When I was pregnant with Levi, before we found out he was a boy, Sam told me that he wanted at least one boy. It's a Quileute thing. And Jacob's son would be an Alpha…"

I nodded.

"Maybe," I said.

"Do you not want another baby?" Emily asked me.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "For me, right now, Norah is enough. I might want more eventually, but I just… I don't know."

"It's not like you don't have room," Emily said. "I think Norah would like a little brother or sister. And besides, it'd be cool to be pregnant at the same time again, you know? Levi and Norah could play together and our babies could play together, too."

I nodded. "True."

Secretly, I resolved to never miss a single pill ever again.

* * *

That night, Jacob and I made love again. We were still in that honeymoon phase where we couldn't keep our hands off each other. We were cuddled under the blankets together when Jacob finally broached the baby issue.

"That's wild about Sam and Emily, isn't it?" he asked. "I'm happy for them."

"Yeah," I said. "That's great."

"They're such great parents," Jake said, sighing.

"They are," I agreed.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jacob asked suddenly, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Uh, sure. What?"

"What if what Emily said was true? What if the reason why you were sick today was because you're pregnant?"

"I'm not pregnant," I said, a little too sternly.

"I know that. It's just that… I don't want Norah to be our only baby. I want another one. Actually, I want another one really bad. I don't know if you do or what…" he trailed off.

"Jacob, if you want another baby, all you have to do is tell me," I said, amused. "If you really want another one, I can stop taking my pills. I just don't want an unplanned pregnancy."

"I don't want to plan it like a grocery shopping list," Jacob said. "I just want it to… happen. I want it to be a surprise, not something expected. That's important to me."

I sighed. "I guess you can get me a test in the morning and I'll take it. And then… I guess we'll know and then we can… plan accordingly."

Jacob made a face.

"What?" I asked him.

"Plan accordingly?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

I sighed. "Fine. If you want another baby, I'll just stop taking my pills and let what happens happen."

"Can I still buy you a test in the morning?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, "I guess that would be necessary."

His face lit up and he leaned in and kissed me passionately. Then he paused and pulled back.

"What?" I asked him.

"You keep saying that if _I _want another baby… do you not want another one?"

"It's not that I don't want another one. It's just that Norah is enough for me right now. I'm happy just having her. If you want another one, then I won't say no. I guess I'm just riding the fence on the whole issue."

Jacob nodded.

"But I swear, Jacob Black, if you knock me up with twins, I will beat you from here to Seattle ," I said, locking my jaw.

Jacob grinned. "Wouldn't that be fun?" he jibed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're not the one who has to push babies out. Be nice to me," I said, pouting.

He nodded solemnly before wrapping me up into his arms and kissing the top of my forehead.

"I love you," he murmured into my hair.

"I love you too," I replied.

* * *

**JPOV**

Early the next morning, I headed out of the house and met Sam in the woods for our Alpha meeting. This was something we had just started doing fairly recently. Since we had two different packs, we decided that the best thing to do would be to cooperate with each other and combine forces if a severe threat ever came to the reservation. I guess you could say that Sam and I were the great orchestrators of this... the rest of the pack really didn't have much to do with it.

After we had finished talking about pack business (there wasn't much), I got up and started heading in the direction of the reservation. Sam followed me.

"How are things with you and Bella?" he asked. "You two seemed happy yesterday," he commented.

"We are," I said. "Things are going well, I guess. Last night, we discussed possibly having another baby."

"Really?" Sam asked, looking rather surprised.

"Yeah," I said. "I mean, there's the possibility that she could be pregnant. She wants me to go pick up a pregnancy test today," I explained.

"Oh," Sam said, looking toward the sun rising in the east, over the Pacific. We had come out of the woods and we walking down a side road of the reservation. "You want another baby?" he asked me, frowning.

"I do," I said. "I'm not so sure about Bella."

"Well, this is something you might want to clear with her. I mean, it _is_ her body, after all. Emily and I never had this... discussion. Things just sort of happened. We got married and then she told me that she was pregnant with Levi. And the other night, when she told me about this new baby... I won't pretend I wasn't surprised. I thought we weren't having anymore kids. We originally wanted them so close together... and it just took longer than either of us expected."

I nodded.

"What if Emily didn't want anymore kids?" I asked him suddenly, pausing in the middle of the street.

"Then I would have listened to her wishes," Sam said. "Emily's my partner, my wife. We decide things together, as a team. You can't force Bella to do anything and I highly stress that you not. Marriage is hard enough without the disagreements."

I knew what he meant.

"She seemed like she was coming around last night," I said. "So maybe we'll come to a compromise. You know how bad I want a son."

"I do," Sam said, nodding. "We all do."

I continued walking up the hill. We passed Sam's house and he paused.

"I should go in. Looks like Emily's making breakfast," Sam said, nodding toward the house. I could smell bacon and eggs in the distance. And French toast.

"I'll see you later, Sam," I said, heading down to the grocery store on the rez.

* * *

_I know this one is really short, but I couldn't think of much to fill it up with. It's mostly a filler chapter with the family stuff anyways. :) I'm working on the big stuff for the next chapter. hehe._

_Thanks for reading! Please review!  
xoxo_


	3. I'm Still A Guy Obviously

Chapter 3 -- I'm Still A Guy (Obviously)

* * *

Disclaimer: I am (quite obviously) not Stephenie Meyer. However, I am (quite obviously) obsessed with Jacob Black. Deal. ;)

A/N: Much thanks to my amazing beta, C. She's really helping me rein in my spastic thoughts for this story. :D Oh, and Happy Halloween!! This is our gift to you guys. :)

* * *

I came back to the house the next morning, my stomach full of nerves. I wasn't entirely happy with Bella's reaction to my wanting another baby. I felt like she had just sort of given in. Part of me hoped that she would brighten up toward the situation after it was all said and done. But I really just didn't know.

The other thing that was sort of playing in my mind was how much I had changed Bella's vocabulary since we'd been together. I was the first to admit that my language wasn't the cleanest. I blamed that on being stuck in Paul and Jared's thoughts for way too long. I laughed to myself as I remembered skimming the line of pregnancy tests in the Family Planning aisle.

E.P.T., Clearblue Digital, Wal-Mart brand, First Response… I gaped at how many different brands of tests there were. I was shocked. How difficult could this possibly be? I just needed a pee-stick that would read yes or no, plus or minus, pregnant or not pregnant. I sighed and picked up the bright pink box right in front of my face.

_First Response allows you to test as early as five days before your missed period_.

Ugh. Obviously this was a woman's job… to buy pregnancy tests. I mean, the directions were addressed to a woman, obviously. I had no idea how these kinds of things worked. The pink box looked sort of pretty, so I picked it.

The girl ringing up the pregnancy test at the counter had just smirked at me. Surely husbands bought these things for their wives all the time! No big deal, right? Well apparently, she thought it was the funniest thing in the world, what with her stupid expression. She couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen and that just irked me to no end.

I walked into the house to find Bella sitting with Norah on her lap, watching _Blue's Clues_. Norah was sort of mouthing the words, even though she didn't know them.

"Boo, Daddy! Boo!" she said, pointing to the screen.

"Where?!" I asked, grinning at her and looking around. I handed Bella the small plastic bag.

"Dair!" Norah exclaimed excitedly.

"Thank you," Bella said shortly. I sat down next to her and shifted Norah over to my lap. She got up and stalked off toward the hallway bathroom. My gaze followed her briefly and then came back to Norah who was looking at me expectantly.

"Wow," I said to Norah. "That _is_ Blue," I exaggerated. "But dogs aren't blue!"

"Boo boo doggie," she said, grinning.

I nodded in encouragement, my eyes transfixed on the bathroom door. It seemed to be taking Bella an awfully long time.

"Yes, Blue_ is_ a blue doggie," I said, looking up at the television. It amazed me what little things could captivate a two-year-old. _Blue's Clues _was Norah's favorite TV show.

"We-by wike Boo," Norah continued. "Norie wike Boo. Daddy wike Boo?" she asked me.

"Sure. I guess I like Blue if you like Blue," I said, trying not to think about Bella in the bathroom.

At long last, she came back out of the bathroom and sat back down on the couch.

"Well?" I asked her, impatiently. I got up from the middle of the floor and sat down next to her.

"Negative," she said triumphantly.

I sighed.

"I could have just eaten something that really didn't agree with my stomach. I wasn't sure if that chicken I made for dinner the other night was good or not, really," she added.

"Have you missed a period?" I asked her.

"No," she said flatly.

"That's weird," I said. "With Norah, you got pregnant right away. And with, well, you know…" I didn't want to mention the demon spawn. I cleared my throat. "Seems like it would hold true for this time, too."

"Well, I've been on birth control since Norah was born," she said matter-of-factly. "If I'm going to try to get pregnant again, then I might want to get off of the birth control first."

"Oh," I replied lamely.

"Daddy, go see Pops?" Norah asked, coming over to me, grinning.

"Norah wants to go see Pops?" I asked, feigning shock. "Why on earth would you want to go see him?"

She giggled.

"I really do need to go over there and make dinner for him," I said, leaning in and kissing Bella on the cheek. "Why don't we make it a family affair? I mean, if Norah wants to go over there…"

"Fine," Bella said, sighing. "I really don't feel up to cooking anyway."

"Do you want to invite Charlie and Sue?" I asked her. "I'm sure Billy would enjoy that. And I think the Mariners game is on tonight, too…"

"Oh, yay. Seattle Mariners. Charlie will get a kick out of that," Bella said, grinning.

"We go?" Norah asked, running over to the door.

"Sure," Bella said, smiling warmly. She headed over to the coat closet and grabbed Norah's jacket and a hairbrush and started brushing Norah's long hair. I went to the kitchen and grabbed the phone to call Billy and Charlie.

* * *

We showed up at Billy's house twenty minutes later.

"Pops!" Norah shouted, running over to Billy's corner in the living room.

"Norah Jane," Billy grinned. "Each time I see you, you just get taller! Pretty soon, you're gonna be taller than me!"

"I don't think she understands the concept of tallness yet," Bella said, heading over to take Norah's jacket off. She smiled at Billy.

"Hey Dad," I said. "I called Charlie and invited him over to watch the Mariners game. Figured we might as well make it a family affair. Charlie hasn't seen Norah in a while, so I figured he could come over and watch the game with us."

"Alright," Billy said. "Rachel called this morning. Said she and Paul found out they're expecting twins at the beginning of June. Looks like you're gonna be an uncle."

My jaw dropped. Paul and _Rachel? _I knew my sister was his imprint, but the images coming unbidden into my head made me squirm. I couldn't stand Paul. Secretly, I felt sorry for my sister.

"That's great," I said, hiding my momentary discomfort. "You're gonna be a grandpa again."

"You're pregnant?" he asked Bella, shocked.

"What? No!" Bella flushed a bright pink.

"I just meant that Rachel was going to give you another grandchild," I said, trying to cover my misspoken words.

"Hmph. Yeah. But you know, I think Norah here would like to have a new brother or sister," Billy said, looking over at Norah on his lap.

"Maybe," Bella said vaguely. "What do you want to eat tonight?" she asked.

"How about fettuccini alfredo?" I suggested.

"That actually sounds really good," Billy said.

"It's pretty easy to make, too," Bella replied. "Jake, why don't you put the water on the stove?" she asked me.

I obliged, heading into the kitchen. I pulled out a stove pot and started filling it up with water.

Charlie and Sue showed up for dinner right as we were putting the finishing touches on it. Bella had set the table and I was adding the final stirs to the huge pot of fettuccini on the stove.

"Smells good," Charlie said, grinning.

"Norie eat eat!" Norah screeched. Charlie winced and picked her up.

"You're loud like your mama was when she was little, you know that?" he asked her.

Norah just put her hands in the air and buried her face in Charlie's neck. He leaned over and put her in her high chair next to his seat. Billy and Sue were already sitting at the table. Bella came over and helped hand out drinks and then started handing me plates. I dished out the fettuccini for everyone and then walked over to take my seat.

"Looks amazing," Billy said, grinning.

"Sure does," Sue agreed.

The next few minutes were filled with silence while everyone ate. I was busy cutting up my chicken when I felt Bella's hand make its way across the front of my sweatpants. I looked over at her and she smiled, licking the alfredo sauce off of her spoon in a manner that should have been illegal. My mind fell into the gutter so loud that I could practically _hear_ it.

"You realize that the Mariners are totally going to win this game," Charlie said matter-of-factly. "The other team doesn't even have a chance. Who are they playing again?"

"I'm not quite sure," Billy said. "Colorado maybe?"

Bella's hand grasped me through my shorts and I choked.

"You alright, Jake?" Billy asked warily.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just didn't chew well enough."

"Your food's not going anywhere, son," Billy said, shaking his head.

She continued pumping me up and down and it took every bit of control within me to keep from moaning out loud and thrusting back into her hand. She suddenly stopped and acted as if she had done absolutely nothing.

"I'll be right back," I said quickly. Doing my best to hide my erection, I made my way to the bathroom, damning my wife to hell.

There was no way I could have waited through an entire game, no matter how much I liked the Mariners. There was just no way that was happening. I made up some excuse about not feeling well and Sue volunteered to do the dishes. I thanked her and Bella, Norah and I headed back across the street.

Norah was luckily half asleep by the time we got back home and Bella put her in her pajamas and tucked her into bed. She came back out into the hallway and I grabbed her, pinning her up against the wall.

"That was a total bitch move," I growled, pressing myself against her.

"Really now?" she asked seductively. She reached through my pants again and started pumping me up and down once more. I groaned and picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, pushing her back down on the bed and crawling on top of her.

"Really," I said. "You're going to make up for it right now, baby." I leaned down and kissed her deeply. She moaned out loud for me.

"You know, I can't help the fact that I want you _so_ bad," she said, grinding her core against my hardness. My breath hitched and I pulled her fitted t-shirt over her head.

"How bad?" I asked her breathlessly.

"How about I show you?" she whispered naughtily in my ear, reaching down into my sweatpants.

I unbuttoned her pants and yanked them down roughly, causing her to moan at the feel of the fabric. I could smell her wetness; it was enough to nearly send me over the edge.

"I've been waiting for this for a while," she said. "Nothing gets me going more than a man cooking white sauce."

"That's a really bad joke," I said, grinning.

She laughed, making her whole chest shake. I leaned in and pulled off her bra, wanting badly to suck and nibble and bite at her nipples. I'd have to wait though. I was going to take my sweet ass time tonight if it killed me. She'd already put me through enough torture.

"Hurry _up_, Jake," she moaned. "Touch me already!"

"Maybe I just like looking," I said cheekily.

"Fuck that," she said, grinding herself against me once more. I could feel my resolve wavering. She reached down and began touching herself, her fingers underneath her panties, obviously pushing in and out. Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted and she began panting, undulating in a way that was beyond anything I'd ever seen.

"Stop," I whispered. I pulled my pants down and she opened her eyes. She leaned down, crawling toward me with her ass up in the air. She reached my cock and stuck just the tip in her mouth, sucking so hard it was bordering painfulness. She pulled it out with a slight _pop_ and a string of saliva connected her lips to my member. She flicked her tongue over me quickly, almost snake-like. I groaned.

"Bella, I can't wait," I gasped. I pushed her back down and ripped her underwear in half to get them off of her. I pushed myself into her. The sensation was incredible, as always. I set a steady rhythm and Bella's eyes fluttered closed once more.

"No!" I grunted. "Look at me, damn it."

Her eyes opened and she held onto the headboard of the bed. I was slamming myself in and out of her, desperate to make her come first. It was a battle. The headboard started slamming up against the wall, but neither of us paid attention.

"You're the wolf's bitch now," I growled, grabbing her hips and pinning them down. She moaned loudly, almost a scream, as she came. I came seconds later with a loud grunt, collapsing on top of her.

"Daddy!"

"Oh shit," Bella breathed, her eyes opening wide.

"Daddy, no!" Norah cried, shaking her head, tears running down her cheeks. I grabbed the blankets and wrapped them around me. How much had she seen?

"Norah," Bella said soothingly. She was immediately in "mommy mode." Norah was crying, obviously shaken. "It's okay," she hushed.

"Mommy hurt," Norah cried, shaking. She climbed up on the bed. Bella wrapped a sheet around herself and Norah climbed onto her lap.

"No, Mommy's fine," Bella said, stroking Norah's hair. "Mommy and Daddy were just… playing. That's how Mommies and Daddies play. I'm okay."

"Mommy yell," Norah sniffled. I sighed.

"That's just part of the game," Bella invented wildly. Sometimes I just thought that Norah was too smart for her own good.

"It's a game where Mommies and Daddies show each other how much they love each other by how loud they yell," I chipped in. "Mommy yelled louder, so she won." In my mind, this seemed like the stupidest game in the world.

Suddenly, Norah screamed bloody murder.

Bella and I both winced.

"Norie wuvs oo best," she giggled.

"Alright," I said. "How about you run into your room and I'll come in there in a second and tuck you in?" I asked her.

She nodded. Bella gave her a kiss on her forehead and I gave her a quick hug. She bounded out of the room and into her room.

"God, I love you," I murmured in Bella's ear.

"That was so close," Bella said, shaking her head. She pulled me close to her and kissed me deeply. "You won that round," she whispered in my ear. "That was amazing."

I grinned, grabbing my sweatpants off the floor and shoving them on, before going into my daughter's room. Ah, the joys of parenthood.

* * *

The next morning, I left the house before dawn. Leah met me in front of the driveway and we headed down the street, toward the entrance of the reservation to wait for Seth.

"So how are things with you and Bella?" she asked, looking down at the ground, kicking the gravel absentmindedly.

"Good," I said. "You and David?"

She sighed.

"What?" I asked her, confused. "You've been dating for over two years now... I figured there'd be wedding bells for another member of the wolf pack soon."

She grimaced and looked toward the faint glow of the sun that was just starting to rise up over the mountain peaks in the distance.

"He called me last night and said that his parents don't want him marrying someone from the Quileute tribe. They'd prefer him to be with another Makah. So he's going to listen to them. He broke up with me last night. Over the phone."

I gaped at Leah and shook my head. "Stupid idiot," I murmured.

"Yeah, that means a lot, coming from you," she said bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her.

"Did you ever wonder why Seth and I didn't come to the wedding?" she asked, sighing.

"Seth said you had family things... that you were going out of town to see distant cousins," I said, thinking back to the phone call we had had a few days before the wedding.

"Distant cousins," she said in disbelief. "You knew my dad. And you know that my mom is Quileute by birth, too. How would we have distant cousins that didn't belong to the tribe?"

I didn't have an answer for that.

"I guess I didn't think things through," I said, sighing.

"Obviously. You never do," she said, sighing. She stopped in the middle of the road and took a deep breath before continuing. "Jake, the reason I didn't go to your wedding is because I didn't want to see you marry Bella. It's stupid because I know that there will never be anything between us. You love Bella. Not me. I'm just your Beta. But for some stupid reason, I'm a stupid idiot who can't move on. David might have distracted me for a while, but that's about it. He was just a distraction. I was hoping he would decide to propose so I could abandon all hope that I could be anything other than your Beta... and your friend."

"Leah, I'm married," I choked, folding my arms in front of me. "You know that."

"I do," she said, nodding. She started walking again. I caught up with her and we matched our paces, step for step. "You know, you would think that I'd be used to this sort of thing by now."

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"First Sam, then you, now David... it seems like I'm starting a pattern here," she sighed. I looked over at her from the corner of my eye and noticed that she had tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. It was my turn to stop and stare at her.

"Leah, you're not crying," I said incredulously.

"No," she said, her voice wavering. "I'm not."

"Yes you are," I said, sighing. "Leah, I don't know why David was a blundering idiot. And I don't pretend to understand imprinting, either. Not fully. I don't think any of us do. But you know that Sam didn't have a choice—"

"Oh, is that it? And you don't have a choice, either?" she cried, sniffing back tears.

"Leah, Bella was pregnant with my daughter, with Norah. And I'm in love with her and I always have been. I can't make myself love you. It wouldn't be fair to you and it wouldn't be fair—"

"You've imprinted on her," Leah interjected, glaring at me.

"No," I admitted. "I haven't. Or at least I don't think I have."

"Then why? Why Bella?" she collapsed in the middle of the gravel road, dissolving into tears. I'd never seen Leah this upset before. Leah was always so strong, so resilient... she was the kind of girl that never let anything get to her. This sudden breakdown unnerved me.

"Leah," I murmured, pulling up her chin to wipe away her tears. "If there was anything I could do to make this better... easier for you, I would."

"There is," she said, wiping away the last of her tears with the back of her hand. "But you'd never agree to it. Then again, you asked Bella to do the same thing and I guess it worked."

"What?" I asked, utterly bewildered.

"Kiss me, Jacob. Kiss me, and tell me you feel nothing for me."

My jaw dropped. "Leah, I can't do that," I said, crossing my arms. "I'm married and you know that's not right. And it wouldn't make it any better."

"I could care less about what's right and what's wrong right now," she said, putting one hand on my shoulder. "Just kiss me. Please, Jacob."

She looked so unstable, so broken, that I didn't know what else to do. I slowly leaned in and pressed my lips to hers quickly. The kiss was over before it had really begun.

"Jacob?" a voice called down the road from the reservation.

_Fuck, _I cursed to myself. _Of all the things to be caught doing..._

I turned around quickly. Seth was running up the walk. His look of confusion gave him away. He had seen everything.

* * *

When we got up the mountainside, Leah took the path to the right and Seth and I took the path to the left.

About an hour later, I felt the familiar shift in the air. Leah had phased back to her human form. I wasn't quite sure why. Maybe she just had things to figure out on her own and needed the privacy of her own thoughts. I sure knew that I needed it right then.

_Jake?_

I jumped at hearing my name in Seth's thoughts.

_What? _I asked him.

_Can I ask what was going on when I walked onto the reservation earlier? Were you _kissing _Leah?, _he asked, his thoughts suggesting bewilderment and confusion.

_She was upset, _I replied, thinking of Leah on the ground, tears trailing down her cheeks. _I didn't know what else to do. She was crying and she was acting like the only way to make it better was to kiss her! Her boyfriend broke up with her last night and she was a mess, on the ground _crying. _What else was I supposed to do?_

_I don't envy being in that situation, _Seth thought, grimacing. _But Leah's been in love with you for years; she's just never said anything. I don't want to see my sister get her heart handed back to her again, but you're married to Bella. You two have a daughter together. You can't just run off and be with Leah. Leah knows that in her head, but I guess her heart hasn't really grasped it yet._

I nodded.

_Do you think there's a reason why you never imprinted on Bella? I mean, maybe there's something better out there for you_, Seth thought.

_Suggest that again, Seth, and I promise you will have a pinecone embedded in your skull before the morning's over_, I snarled.

_Fine, fine, _Seth whined. _Kill me for suggesting something, geesh._

_

* * *

_

Yay! The third chapter is done!! I thought the Bella/Jacob dinner table scene was absolutely hilarious... as well as Norah walking in on them. ahaha. :) But hopefully you guys don't hate me too much for the ending. I have a reason for it... of course. :)

Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review!  
xoxo


	4. Why Am I So Jealous of Sam?

Chapter 4 – Why Am I So Jealous of Sam?

* * *

Disclaimer: I am a poor college student from Kentucky. Of course I don't own Twilight. Because then, I would be a rich writer who wouldn't have to worry about going to school to better myself. I'd already be _better_. :/

* * *

Sam and Emily's party was held the following Saturday. Unbeknownst to me, Bella had told Emily that we would come to their party. I guess they planned on announcing their pregnancy to the rest of the tribe. Sam had called me, absolutely thrilled, asking if I could pick up Billy because he was busy getting a ham for the occasion. A fucking ham.

I guess what annoyed me most was that Sam and Emily had gone about getting pregnant the way that I had wanted to with Bella. I mean, it was none of my business and normally, I wouldn't care, but when Sam told me that he and Emily hadn't planned the pregnancy and it had been a good surprise, I was jealous. Having kids was something I felt like I had to push with Bella. Deep down, I knew I wanted a rather large family with three or four kids. Bella was an only child and I knew that if she had had her way, Norah would have been our only child. She had gotten on birth control without my consent. I mean, it was her body and I understood that she wanted to have a certain amount of control over her own body. I understood that. I just didn't want to have to fight about having kids… creating a family with her. It wasn't supposed to be stressful.

We had agreed to try for a baby, but I had a sneaking suspicion that Bella was still taking her birth control pills. I had found them sitting on the countertop the day before the party. I had asked her about it, but she said she had just taken them out of her purse and was reading the back of the packaging to call her doctor to ask her a question.

I just wanted her to be honest with me. I was so confused. Bella knew the importance of having boys in the tribe… to protect the tribe from vampires. Especially considering our son would be the next alpha… I wanted a boy. As much as I loved Norah, I really wanted a son to add to our family. I wanted a boy to take hunting and fishing. I knew I could do those things with Norah, but I still wanted more kids to round out the household. I envied Sam. He had told me that he and Emily weren't planning on using birth control at all until they felt like their family had reached an appropriate size.

On top of all of this, I hadn't told Bella what had happened between Leah and me. I mean, I really didn't think it was much… she was upset and I hadn't really kissed her. I mean, my lips touched hers, but there was no feeling behind it. I didn't have _romantic _feelings for Leah in the slightest. She knew that. I just didn't want things to become awkward between us and I didn't want Bella to think I was cheating on her when I wasn't. I had simply been placed in an awkward situation and did the only thing I knew how to remedy it.

"Jake, have you seen Norah's dress shoes?" Bella asked, coming out from Norah's room.

"Yeah," I said, looking up at her from the couch. "Second drawer in her dresser. I stuck them in there after the wedding."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. She whipped back into the hallway in a flash of brunette hair.

Norah ran out of her room two minutes later, wearing a pink and white dress and a matching pink sweater-looking thing.

"Daddy, Norie pretty!" she exclaimed excitedly, twirling around in circles.

"Yes you are. You're such a girl," I laughed, hugging her. "Pretty soon, I'm going to be beating those boys off of you, aren't I?"

Of course, Norah had no idea what I meant. She just giggled once more.

Bella came back into the living room, wearing a navy blue blouse and khakis. I should have known that she wouldn't dress up unless she had to.

"You know, compared to Norah, I'd say you're a bit underdressed," I laughed.

"She grows so fast," Bella insisted. "She needed to get some wear out of that dress."

I simply nodded, getting up and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. I knew that at least two things were true. I loved my role as a dad and I loved my wife more and more as each day passed.

* * *

Sam and Emily's party started right at noon. Everyone from the reservation seemed to be there. Even Leah. Heather Young had come down with her husband, a white guy named Jack Rogers, and their two daughters, Alyson and Claire. Quil spent most of his time running around with Claire. I found it almost funny, how the eighteen-year-old Quil followed the six-year-old Claire around nonstop. Rachel and Paul had picked up Billy for me and the three of them were sitting on the Uleys' couch in the living room, chattering away.

"Nowah!" Levi screeched upon seeing Norah. "You here!" he exclaimed.

Norah giggled.

"Norah Jane, don't you dare get dirty," Bella said sternly. Levi grabbed Norah's hand and the two of them ran off to his bedroom.

Emily came over, smiling at us as we hung up our coats on the coat rack.

"Glad you could make it," she said. "Um, Bella, could I talk to you for a minute?" she asked Bells.

"Sure," Bella said. She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before heading through the hallway with Emily. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a plate and put a hamburger on it and loaded it with tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup and mustard, skipping out on the mayonnaise as usual. I finished the burger in three bites and headed toward the restroom.

"I just don't know what to do!" Bella's voice wafted from Sam and Emily's bedroom.

I knew it would be wrong to eavesdrop, but this sounded serious. I stood in the bathroom, the door just slightly ajar.

"Does he know that it might be causing problems?" Emily asked, her voice sounding anxious.

"I haven't been able to talk about it," Bella confessed. "It's always caused problems. That's the whole point of it. Jake says he wants to do things with no planning at all, but I don't have the strength to sit there and NOT try to plan things in the slightest. That's what I do. I'm a planner. And Jake's just… not."

"Well, you know it did take Sam and me over two years to conceive this baby. We refused to go get 'help' as his mother so aptly called it. Maybe things will work out. You just have to have a little faith."

"But if the birth control pills are causing problems…" Bella sighed. "Jake is so set on having another baby and he doesn't want to do any planning for it whatsoever."

"Honey, the strongest marriages are built on communication and trust. You say _Jake _is so set on having a baby, but do you really want a second one?" Emily asked.

"If it makes him happy, then of course I'm not against it," Bella said.

"Then you need to be completely honest and open with him. How long have you two been _actively_ trying for a baby?" Emily asked.

"Since that day at First Beach," Bella confessed.

"That was only two weeks ago," Emily said.

"But we've been having unprotected sex almost every other night since the wedding. Still. Nothing. I stopped taking my pills over a month ago. The day after we went to the beach I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. I'm usually the kind of girl who gets pregnant at the drop of a hat!"

"Still," Emily said. "It hasn't even been two months since the wedding and you were on birth control half of that time. So that's not exactly _unprotected _sex. Give it some time. Just test once a week and stop stressing out. Will you be okay with Sam and me announcing the pregnancy today?"

"Of course," Bella said. "Don't let our silly problems interfere with your big day," she said warmly. I heard the bed squeak as they got up and I quickly shut the bathroom door.

So the birth control pills had altered Bella's cycle. That's why we were having problems conceiving. But it had only been a month. Bella had had me thinking that she didn't want any more children. Emily was right. We did need better communication skills in our marriage. And the ability to remember to lock the door at night when we were _busy _to keep Norah from walking in on us in the middle of the night. I felt guilty for thinking she was taking pills behind my back. Bella wouldn't do something like that. She loved me. There had to be a good reason why they were out on the counter. Just because they were sitting there didn't mean she was actually taking them.

I headed back out of the bathroom and into the living room. Norah and Levi were playing with blocks in the middle of the living room floor.

"Are you hungry, Norah?" I asked her. "You haven't eaten lunch yet."

Norah shook her head. "Norah busy!" she said emphatically.

Ah, of course. She was playing with a boy… and not just any boy. Levi. Of course she was "busy." I heard someone laugh and looked up.

I spotted Charlie and Sue sitting off in a corner by themselves, watching Norah and Levi play. It wasn't until I looked past them that I noticed something catching the light. I looked back at Sue and then to Charlie. I had only just noticed the slight smiles on their faces when Bella crowed behind me, "Holy crow! You're _engaged?_"

Charlie jumped and pulled his hand away from Sue's quickly as everyone in the living room turned to face them. It became really quiet, so quiet in fact, that you could have heard a pin drop.

"We hadn't told anyone," Sue said quietly, blushing.

"How long?" Bella asked.

"I don't know… around a month, I guess," Charlie hedged.

"Congratulations!" Bella squealed, hugging her father tightly. I smiled at them, shaking my head at Bella's spastic-ness.

She couldn't stop grinning. She picked up Norah and told her the news a few minutes later and I couldn't help but laugh when Norah asked, "Norie mawwy We-by?" The shock on Bella's face was magnificent. Norah just giggled in response.

"Now, now, little missy… there won't be any _marriage_ going on with you until you're at least thirty," I teased, tickling her shoulder.

Later on that afternoon, Sam stood up with a bottle of champagne and pulled the cork out.

"I'd like to propose a toast," he said, grinning. Emily's eyes were bright with happiness.

Everyone held up their champagne glasses.

"To my wonderful wife, Emily, and our growing family. Let's hope Levi turns out to be a wonderful big brother," he said, trying to keep his grin under control.

The reaction in the room was predictable. Billy gaped at Sam, Leah glared at him, and the rest of the wolf-pack snickered. I didn't quite know what to do. I was jealous of Sam and I had absolutely no reason to be. He and Emily deserved this. They deserved to be happy. And I had no reason to be jealous of someone else's happiness. After all, being married to Bella and having Norah was enough, wasn't it?

I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn't quite sure if it was or not. I felt ungrateful, like nothing would ever be good enough for me. I had Bella and I had Norah. Shouldn't that be enough? Why did I feel like this? I couldn't answer my own questions that we swirling around my head, attacking my emotions. I knew I was overreacting. I knew Bella had agreed to have another child. I was just an impatient, unmitigated, comprehensive ass, hell-bent on feeling sorry for myself.

_Snap out of it, Jake, _I told myself. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as Bella slid her arm around my waist.

"Are you okay?" she murmured to me.

"I'm fine," I said, leaning down and kissing her on her forehead. "Just thinking."

"You know, I really like the name Rowan for a boy," she whispered.

My eyes popped open in confusion. Was she really bringing this up?

I frowned in confusion. Everyone else was pre-occupied with Sam and Emily's announcement. I leaned down and whispered in Bella's ear. "Are you just messing with me or are you really on board with this?"

"I just want to have your baby inside me again," she murmured. "A little piece of me and you, right here." She let her left hand graze her abdomen. I felt dizzy with exultation. She leaned in and kissed me deeply. My head started spinning excitedly. I wasn't sure what Emily had said to Bella precisely, but it seemed to have an effect. I grinned as we broke apart.

"Bella, have some champagne," Sam said, handing her a glass.

"No thanks," Bella said, looking at me pointedly. Sam simply frowned at her, gathering looks from the rest of the room. Emily distracted everyone else by hurriedly proposing another toast with her sparkling water.

"To Sue and Charlie!" she exclaimed. "May you two have many more wonderful years together and a beautiful life and wedding to boot!" Everyone started laughing.

I led Bella over to the now-empty sofa where Rachel and Paul had been sitting next to Billy. I turned around to see Sam following us.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to call you out like that," he apologized. "I didn't know you weren't drinking today, Bella. Am I right in guessing that you two will be having an announcement of your own pretty soon?"

"What do you mean?" I asked suddenly.

"Well, it was just the way that you two were canoodling in the corner and I figured since Bella had refused champagne that the two of you might have some news of your own to break," he said, beating around the bush.

"Sam, what are you talking about?" I asked, frowning in confusion. Bella gasped and her eyes widened in comprehension.

"You two aren't expecting another baby?" he whispered.

"No!" Bella hissed. "Does everyone here think I'm pregnant or something?"

"Well, Billy kind of said something to Charlie who must have said something to Sue who said something to Old Quil who said something to me and Quil the other day," Sam explained. "Everyone here was expecting you to announce something."

Bella looked mortified. "I'm not pregnant!" she hissed. "At least not yet."

"Not yet?" Sam asked.

"We're… _considering _trying for another baby," I said delicately. "But the entire reservation egging us on doesn't exactly help matters."

Sam's eyes widened considerably.

"Do I look pregnant or something?" Bella hissed.

"No!" Sam whispered furiously. "Not at all! I'm so sorry you guys."

Bella sighed.

"This is so awkward," she murmured.

Sam got up, shaking his head. "Rumors on the reservation spread like wildfire," he said. "I guess that's what happens when you live in a tiny community like this," he replied. He got up and shook his head, apologizing once more. Bella just looked at me, her cheeks maroon with embarrassment.

* * *

While Bella was getting Norah ready to leave in Levi's room that evening, Leah stopped me.

"What do you want?" I asked her pointedly.

"I just wanted to apologize," she said, sighing. "The other day was completely out of line. I should have never asked you to do that. I guess I was being stupid and thought I could convince you that you loved me. I guess you don't." She sighed, looking down at the floor, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, her toe kicking the floor haphazardly.

"Leah, I do care about you," I said. "Just not like that."

"What if I imprinted on you?" she asked me suddenly. "Would that have any effect?"

"Have you?" I asked her, a pit tightening in the bottom of my stomach. I already knew what I would do… what decision I would make. I wouldn't be with Leah. I couldn't. I had married Bella, we had a daughter together, and we were going to make another baby. I was not going to do this with Leah. No matter what crazy wolf crap happened.

"I don't think so," she said, sighing.

"You don't think so?" I asked her. That wasn't a good enough answer. "It's a yes or no question."

"Fine," she said, her eyes finally meeting mine for the first time. "No. Happy? You can continue playing house with your little wife and daughter and let me tend to my emotional drama by myself. I should be used to it by now, huh?"

And with that, she stalked out of the room. I gaped at her in shock as she passed Bella and Norah coming out of the hallway.

"Ready, honey?" Bella asked, looking from Leah to me. I took my gaze off of Leah's back, snapping back to reality. I smiled at my wife.

"Of course," I said, kissing her on the cheek.

* * *

_Another chapter finished. Bella's not pregnant yet… even if Jake really wants her to be. How mortifying. I've had people come up to me before and ask me if I'm pregnant or how far along I am before (I'm not overweight or anything). I know how embarrassing it can be. *shudders* Poor Bella._

_Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review. I LOVE reviews! It's what keeps me writing!! :D_

_xoxo_


	5. Why Do They Call It Baby Dancing?

Chapter 5 – Why Do They Call It Baby Dancing?

* * *

Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I think she's taller than me. And she also has more money in her bank account than I do.

* * *

Another week passed. Another negative pregnancy test.

Bella put Norah to bed and came back into our bedroom. She curled up next to me in the bed and eagerly pressed her cold toes into my leg. I jumped, shocked at how cold she was.

"You're so warm," she murmured.

"You're so… not," I said, wrapping my arms around her, trying to warm her up. She sighed and leaned up to kiss me.

"Is she asleep?" I asked her.

"Completely out of it," Bella sighed, curling up to me.

"Are you tired?" I asked her, kissing her on her forehead.

"Not really," Bella replied, closing her eyes. I leaned down and kissed over each one of her eyelids.

"Mhmn," Bella murmured, lifting up her head so I could trail kisses down her neck. I let one of my hands trail down to the bottom of her nightshirt and slowly made my way up to her right breast. Her nipple was erect, ice cold. I massaged her breast with my warm hand. She moaned, twisting her hips ever so slowly.

"I'm feeling lazy tonight," I said, sighing.

"Just how lazy?" Bella yawned.

"Lazy enough to not have enough energy to make this immensely difficult," I murmured, kissing back up to her ear and nibbling her earlobe.

Bella turned around, facing her back to me.

"We could always spoon," she said, grinding her butt against my thighs. I reached under the blankets and grabbed her hips, pulling her pajama pants down to her knees. I pushed one finger into her, curling it inside her, massaging and kneading her breast with my other hand. She moaned aloud.

I pulled down my sweatpants and felt her. She was already wet. I slowly and carefully pressed my cock inside her, moving back and forth, in and out, ever so slowly. Bella arched her back into me and turned her head to face me, kissing me intimately. She let one hand reach around and run through my hair at the back of my head and twisted her hips.

I groaned, moving slightly faster, massaging her right breast with my right hand and then reach down and smacking her ass as I grinded into her. She moaned louder.

"That feels amazing, Jake," she moaned. "Harder…"

I made my movements harder and more deliberate this time, yet still painfully slow. Her breath was ragged and she was panting, her eyes closed tightly, her lips partly opened sensually. I spanked her harder, leaving a red mark on the side of her ass.

"Fuck yeah," I hissed. This was more different than anything we'd ever done. Usually we moved so fast and hard. It was a nice change.

"So close, baby," she moaned. "Oh yeah…"

I leaned around and pinched her right nipple, rolling it around between my fingers. She jumped and her inner walls clamped around me, gripping me as she came.

"Oh yeah…" she groaned. I came two seconds later, spilling into her.

"God, Bella," I murmured into her ear. Our breathing slowly returned to normal. Suddenly, I was very sleepy.

"That was awesome," she said, leaning back into my arms. I wrapped them around her, hugging her to my chest. She kicked off her pajama bottoms and we fell asleep, still connected.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to find Bella cooking pancakes in the kitchen, Norah sitting in her highchair bleary-eyed.

"Good morning," she said, looking over at me. "I went ahead and made Billy's and took them over to him.

"Thanks," I said, coming over and wrapping my arms around her waist. She sighed and leaned into me. "You're always cold," I complained.

"I think it's the time of year," she said, sighing. "It's October. And it's been cooler than normal. You know how much I hate fall weather."

"I do," I agreed. I kissed the side of her head at her temple and helped her set the table. "Have you talked to Charlie lately?" I asked her.

"I talked to him yesterday," Bella said. "I ran by with Norah while you were at the council meeting. Sue was talking about wedding plans. Apparently, they want to get married sooner rather than later. I wasn't about to talk them out of it… they've been together for almost three years."

I nodded. "How soon are we talking here?" I asked.

"Two months. Maybe three," she replied.

My eyes widened in surprise.

"They just want a little wedding. Probably in the same church ours was. Sue was thinking about waiting until the spring so it could be outdoors in the center courtyard of the reservation. Maybe April."

"That's six months," I said. "You just said three."

"It depends on what she wants. You know how easy-going my dad is. He's just happy he got her to finally say yes," Bella said, grinning.

"Well, you know you're going to be a bridesmaid," I said. "She better account for that fact that you'll have a big ol' belly by then."

"Maybe," Bella said. "If I ever _do_ get pregnant." She sighed.

"You can't look at it negatively," I said. "It'll happen eventually. We just have to keep trying."

She shook her head. "I know. I just don't know why it's taking so long."

"It hasn't really been that long," I reasoned. "Three weeks. And really, we're just now finding out that our… efforts from the first week weren't successful. You could be pregnant right now and not even know it."

"Yeah, right," Bella said, flipping two pancakes on a small plate beside her and pouring more batter into the skillet. "Hand those to Norah," she said, thrusting the small plate at me.

I took the plate over to Norah and sat it in front of her. She smiled up at me.

"What do you say?" I asked her.

"Fank oo," she replied, cheesing up at me.

I kissed her on her forehead and walked back over to Bella.

"It's not even that I'm upset with myself," she said. "I just don't want to let you down. I know what this means to you and it kills me that it's taking so long."

"Bella, what happens will happen and that's that," I said. "This isn't something that you can decide to do and get a positive test result the next day. It requires patience."

"Well right now, my patience supply is running pretty thin," she sighed.

"Just think," I said, trying to cheer her up. "We get to keep on having fun for a while longer."

"You know, I was online the other day on a message board and they were calling it _baby dancing_," Bella said, laughing.

"Baby dancing?" I asked blankly.

"Yeah," Bella said, cracking a grin.

"What? Do we get up on the bed or something and jump around to Right Said Fred?" I asked, frowning.

At that, Bella started shaking with laughter. She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. "There's a reason I love you," she giggled.

"There better be," I replied, smiling back at her. "I mean, other than my charming good looks and sense of humor."

Bella smiled at me and handed me my plate of pancakes.

"Easy on the syrup," she said, nodding toward the bottle on the counter. "Save some for me."

"Do you really need syrup?" I asked her.

She just glared at me in response. "Save me some syrup," she repeated.

"Yes ma'am," I replied, winking at her. "I love it when you boss me around."

"If you become any more ornery, then you're going to not like me bossing you around too much," Bella quipped. She snapped the dishtowel hanging on the front of the oven at me, winking. I headed over to the kitchen table and sat next to Norah. Bella sat across from me a few minutes later.

"Daddy, what's dis?" Norah asked, pointing at her pancake.

"Pancake," I replied.

"What's dat?" she asked, pointing toward the syrup bottle next to my plate.

"Syrup," I replied.

"Seewup?" she asked, frowning.

"It's for grown-ups," Bella said, glaring at me. "Although I too often think that Daddy's not much of a grown-up himself."

I frowned at her. "Bella!"

"Well, it's true," she said, shrugging.

"You didn't think that last night," I growled. She blushed scarlet, turning around and flipping her pancake in the skillet.

"Daddy, what's that?" Norah asked again, pointing toward her sippy cup.

"Milk," I said.

"Meelk is good," she said slowly. "Pancakes good too!" she crowed.

I just stared at Norah, shaking my head. This wasn't the first time I had wondered if my child was seriously demented. It seemed like every new thing she discovered was something huge and needed clarification and recognition.

"Mommy?" Norah asked, leaning way over in her high chair.

"What, baby?" Bella asked, looking over at Norah.

"Go see We-by today?" Norah asked.

"No, not today," Bella replied.

"Pwease?" Norah begged.

"Norah Jane, you heard your mother," I said, looking over at Norah. "Not today."

Big crocodile tears welled up in Norah's eyes. She started crying. "But Daddy!" she wailed. "Norie miss We-by!"

"Norah Jane!" Bella snapped. "We said no. Not today!" Norah continued to cry. Bella sighed and simply ignored her. She got her plate and brought it over to the table and sat down next to me and began eating. Norah continued to throw her temper tantrum, but Bella and I just ignored her.

I leaned in and whispered in Bella's ear. "You know, sending Norah to Sam and Emily's does have its perks."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked me.

"We get the whole house to ourselves," I grinned. "All day long."

"That almost makes me want to send her packing right now," Bella said. "But then, we'd look like we were giving in."

"True," I said. "I guess I'm just going to have to wait until bedtime, huh?" I asked, kissing my way down her neck.

"Jake!" Bella groaned. "Norah's sitting _right there_," she said.

"She's not paying any attention," I murmured. Truthfully, Norah was still kicking and screaming.

Bella sighed and swatted me away.

"Later," she promised. "You already got some last night, didn't you? And your lips are sticky."

"Yes," I pouted. "But I'm just insatiable. You know that," I said teasingly.

"Believe me, I know," Bella replied. She finished her breakfast and picked up Norah and took her into her bedroom to get her dressed.

They came back a few minutes later, Norah completely dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, complete with Blue's Clues house shoes, her temper tantrum completely forgotten.

"What'd you do?" I asked Bella, confused.

"Told her that if she didn't stop crying then we wouldn't go see Levi tomorrow," Bella said grinning. "It worked. She zipped her lip."

"Alright," I replied, kissing her on her forehead. "Come on, Norah Jane," I said to my daughter. "Go find your tennis shoes and we'll go to the park."

"Yay! Park!" Norah laughed.

"The park?" Bella asked.

"Yup," I said. "I want to try something."

We got into the car and drove to the park a few minutes later. Upon our arrival, I went into the woods behind the parking lot and took my clothes off and phased. I came back into the center of the park where Bella was kicking a soccer ball with Norah.

"Mommy! Doggie!" Norah screeched, running over to me.

I rolled one eye backwards and looked over at Bella. Her hands were on her hips and she was shaking her head, obviously trying not to laugh. I sat down in front of Norah and sank down to her level, my nose right in front of her. She patted me on the head.

"Nice doggie," she said, smiling at me. I nudged her hand as she continued to pet me.

"Jacob," Bella sighed.

I gave a low whine and got up and walked over to Bella, giving her a sloppy lick on the hand.

"Ew!" she exclaimed.

"Doggie wike Mommy!" Norah giggled. I gave a hearty sniff at the air and froze. I smelled something all too familiar, a sweet smell that burned my nose. The hair rose up at the back of my neck and I cursed to myself. I knew that smell. And the fact that I was smelling it at all couldn't mean anything good.

A vampire was in Forks.

I ran into the woods and phased back to my normal self and got dressed quick as a flash. I ran back over to Bella and Norah.

"Get in the car and go home," I said. "I've got to assemble the pack."

"What?" Bella asked. "Why?"

"Vampire," I said shortly.

Bella's eyes widened in fear.

"It's going to be fine. I don't know what they want or why they're even here. I'm going to go run to get Sam. When you go home, get Leah and tell her to meet me at Sam's." I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "It's going to be fine," I promised her. "It's probably nothing big," I lied.

She nodded and hurriedly picked up Norah. She fastened her in her car seat and got into the driver's seat and sped out of the parking lot.

I headed to Sam's.

* * *

_I know that it's been a while since I've updated. I've just been really busy. I sent this chapter to my beta as soon as I posted the last chapter, but she never got back to me. :/ So anyways, I figured that you guys deserved an update so I went ahead and posted my un-betaed version of this chapter. The plot thickens... ;)_

_Thanks for reading!  
Please review!  
xoxo_


	6. Frustration

Chapter 6 – Frustration

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Jacob Black… or any other characters from the original Twilight Saga. If I did, I would be extremely rich and not working at Target seasonally, worrying about losing my job after Christmas.

* * *

The following Friday, while Jacob and Sam were discussing pack business, I took Norah to see Emily and Levi. Norah had been standing by the door all morning, begging for me to take her to see Levi. After lunch, Jacob kissed me and Norah goodbye. Leah met him at the end of the walk and they headed down the road. I packed up Norah's bag and picked her up. I put her into her car seat and we drove down the road to Sam and Emily's.

Emily was sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard, watching Levi chase butterflies when I pulled up.

"Bella!" she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I would have called, but I didn't think you'd be doing anything. I mean, since Sam and Jacob are at the pack meeting. Norah's been itching to see Levi all day long. She was standing by the door, begging to come over here."

Emily laughed.

"Aww," she cooed. "Norah!"

"Auntie Emmy!" she yelled. "Where We-by at?"

"He's over there chasing butterflies," Emily pointed toward her son. "And now he's running over here," she added as an afterthought, once Levi saw Norah in my arms.

"Nowah!" he yelled. "See budderfwies?"

I kissed Norah on her forehead and sat her down next to Levi. "Be good and don't get dirty," I said. If I didn't tell her not to get dirty, then she would come home a mess of mud and muck.

The two kids ran off through the front yard.

"So how's everything going?" I asked, pulling out a lawn chair from the front porch and sitting down next to her.

"Good," Emily said. "No more morning sickness and I just started my second trimester yesterday," she said. "Things are going well. I'm just now starting to get bigger, too. My regular jeans don't fit anymore."

I smiled for her sake, but inside I was frustrated. How long would Jacob and I have to keep trying for a baby until we were successful? Were we doing something wrong? It had been well over a month since I'd gotten off of my birth control. My period was due in two days and I figured that if I didn't get it, I was pregnant and if I did then I wasn't and I would definitely be pissed off. It didn't seem fair that Emily could already be three months along and I still hadn't gotten out of the starting gate.

"Still no luck?" she asked me.

"No luck," I sighed. "It's starting to drive me crazy. Jacob's been patient, but I just haven't been able to be."

"I know what you mean," she replied. "When we were trying for this baby, I was so impatient. Once Levi was a year old, I really wanted another one. I wanted them stair-stepped. A year apart each. That's how Sam wanted them, too. Close enough in age. Then again, I'm sure his reasoning was for the whole pack safety thing… creating enough new werewolves for the pack."

I nodded. That made sense.

"It just took longer than I wanted it to. By the time this baby is born, Levi will have just turned three."

"Well, that will make him a good leader though. Won't he be Alpha?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess… if you and Jacob don't have a boy, he would be."

"But he'll almost definitely be the first to phase. It'd be an assumed role, like what Sam has."

Emily nodded. "Yes."

I sighed, looking out at Norah and Levi chasing each other in the front yard.

"It'll happen," she reassured me. "I promise."

"I wish I was as sure of it as everyone else," I said, looking down at my knees. "I feel like a failure. Jake wants this so badly and I can't give it to him. He's never asked me for anything else… just this."

"Well, Jacob's probably got a lot on his mind right now. He's probably not even thinking about this as much as you are, what with the whole vampire thing and all," Emily reasoned.

"He won't tell me what's going on with that," I sighed. "I guess he's trying to keep me sane, but I'm so worried about him. He knows that that's what _he_ did… tried to keep things from me to keep me safe, but all it does is make me worry."

"Sam told me that a coven of vampires had made a residence nearby, but they hadn't been able to catch them," Emily replied.

"Hadn't been able to catch them?" I asked hollowly.

"They're not causing much trouble and there haven't been any disappearances, from what Sam told me. Until there are, Sam refuses to intervene."

"So that's probably why Jacob's been upset lately," I reasoned. "He's been gone a majority of the day. And Leah hasn't left home in forever. Sometimes I wonder if she's watching me or something. I wouldn't put it past Jake to command Leah to make sure we're okay, just in case."

Emily sighed. "I have no idea. Sam hasn't left me and Levi at all. Except for today. Seeing him so worried eats at me, but I can't do anything about it."

"I know what you mean," I sighed. "Believe me."

"I know for a fact that Seth and Jared have been running around here," she said, sighing. "I saw them yesterday morning when Sam went over to your place to talk to Jacob."

"This is the one thing I hate about being on the reservation," I sighed. "As soon as threat of a vampire hits, everyone completely loses their minds."

"It's not always like this," Emily said. "Just a handful of times through the past couple of years."

I nodded.

"I know that. It's usually really peaceful around here," I replied. "It's never this crazy."

A big black wolf peered out from between the trees across the house and Emily got up.

"There's Sam," she said. "Levi!" she called.

Levi came running over to her, Norah chasing him. "Come on in," she said, nodding toward the house. "Sam doesn't like me being outside when he's phased. It makes him nervous. I guess he's going to go into the backyard and phase back and then he'll be in here."

I followed her into the house, holding Norah's hand.

Levi pulled Norah down the hall into his bedroom once we got inside.

Emily and I sat down on the couch and she sighed.

"What?" I asked her.

"I feel sort of guilty that I'm pregnant right now and you're not," she said. "Don't get me wrong. I'm happy about it. But you're my best friend and it just hurts that I've got something that you want and I feel like sharing my happiness is just rubbing it in your face."

"Don't feel like that!" I said, aghast. "Like you said, it'll happen for me and Jake, too. Maybe not right now, but eventually. Maybe I'll just have to wait for my cycles to regulate themselves. I haven't even tested this week, either. The last time I tested was last week. I could be pregnant right now," I said, even though I didn't really believe it.

"It _will_ happen for you and Jake," Emily repeated. "I know it will." She gave me a tight hug. "Don't worry about it."

"I'll try not to," I said, smiling at her.

A soft clearing of the throat alerted me to Sam's presence.

"Hi, Bella," he said, nodding to me.

"Hey Sam," I said.

"I don't mean to shoo you away or anything, but Jake is headed back to your place. He said that if I saw you here to tell you that he wants to talk to you at home."

"Oh," I said. "Thanks," I said, smiling at Sam. "I guess we'll be leaving then. Norah!" I called.

"Thanks for talking to me, Bella," Emily said. "It was nice of you to stop by."

"Anytime," I replied. "And thanks for talking to me, too. I needed that. It was refreshing."

I went into Levi's room and tried to get Norah to leave. She hugged Levi and came with me quite gamely once I had told her that her daddy was back home.

We got into the car and drove off, Norah waving bye-bye to Levi out the window.

* * *

When I got home, the phone was ringing. Jake was standing in the kitchen. He picked it up and answered it as I took Norah's coat off and hung it up on the coat rack.

"Hello?" I heard Jake greet whoever was on the other line.

I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack with Norah's little pink coat. I walked into the kitchen and got glass out of the dishwasher and filled it with orange juice.

"Yeah," Jacob retorted. "Speak of the Devil and he shall appear." I started drinking my orange juice, ignoring Jacob's wild reaction to whoever was on the other line.

"That's my job now," he spat angrily. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be coming in the first place!"

I swiveled around, completely confused. Who on _earth_ was Jacob talking to?

"You realize that if you had never come to Forks in the first place that she would have no reason to be looking for Bella at all?" Jacob asked.

I leaned up against the counter top, frowning at my husband. What the _hell_ was going on?

"Alright. Call when you get back to Forks," Jacob replied.

He suddenly held the phone out to me. "Do you want to talk to your ex-husband?" he asked me, looking absolutely furious.

"No," I said, his question taking me by surprise. I was confused. Why was Edward calling here after two years and then asking to talk to me? And who was coming after me? My head was spinning. I backed away from Jacob and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," Jacob told Edward. Another pause.

"You really want to have small talk about my daughter?" he asked.

With that, he hung up. I stared at Jake. I had no idea what sort of expression was on my face.

"It's going to be alright," Jacob told me. "Really. Nothing is going to happen to you or to Norah. I promised you I'd take care of you and that's what I've been doing," he said.

"Jacob, what's going on?" I asked, biting my bottom lip.

He sighed. "The Cullens are coming back. One of their friends was infatuated with that male bloodsucker we killed a while back. The one that tried to kill you."

"Laurent?" I gaped.

"Whatever," Jacob said, acting like he didn't care whether the vampire had a name or not. "This female was living with the Cullens in Alaska. A relative of a clan from up there. She's trying to come after you in order to get back at the pack for killing this Laurent. She doesn't care if it pisses the Cullens off or not. But the Cullens don't want to kill her because that would be turning their back on their close allies. However, I don't have a problem with killing her," he added menacingly. "She's not going to hurt you or Norah."

"Jake!" I exclaimed. "It's not me or Norah that I'm worried about," I said, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm worried about you. I don't want you getting yourself killed trying to save me."

"No one is going to get killed," he promised. "Unless it's some filthy bloodsucker. This is all going to get worked out, okay?"

I sighed. "Am I going to have to run from vampires the rest of my life?" I asked him.

"No," Jacob replied adamantly. "I'm going to take care of this and then you'll be fine. This is the last stand… the final showdown," he replied.

"That's what everyone said with Victoria and her newborns," I sighed. "And look what happened to you! You got hurt!"

"Calm down, Bella. I'm not going to get hurt. With any luck, this will be simple. It won't escalate into a physical fight."

He stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms, trying to show me how serious he was that no harm was going to come to me. I knew what he was thinking. He thought of this as a challenge… that this was something that he could beat Edward at, that he could keep me safer than Edward ever could. I didn't like the fact that he was still trying to compete with Edward. Didn't he know that I loved him more than I'd ever loved anyone else?

* * *

That night, after I put Norah to sleep, I headed into the bedroom and got dressed to the nines. I put on a black corset that laced up the front with pink ribbon and a pair of skimpy black panties. I was determined to take Jacob's mind off of this whole vampire thing. The best way to do that, I figured was to seduce him.

I walked into the living room and turned off his Mariner's game.

"Bells! I was watching that!" he groaned.

"Fine," I said. "If you want to watch TV, then watch TV. I guess I can go entertain myself." His jaw dropped and he gaped at me. I pouted and slid down the wall, letting my knees bend in front of me, spread apart.

"You're such a tease," he groaned, getting up to come over to me.

"Ah ah ah," I replied, getting back up. I walked over to him and pushed him back down onto the couch. I looked over at the bay window to make sure the blinds were drawn and the curtains closed. I straddled him, leaning in and kissing him deeply.

"What is this?" he asked me, frowning at my apparel.

"Today, we're going to make this fun," I said, my fingers trailing down the strings of my corset. I began grinding my hips against him, moaning ever so softly into his ear. He reached for the corset, but I stopped him.

"I'm in control, Mr. Black. And you better not mess with me."

He gasped as my grinding increased in frequency and pressure. He grabbed my hips to steady me and my arms rose up in the air as I writhed in his lap. My wetness had seeped onto the leg of his sweatpants.

"God, you smell so good," he groaned.

I got up suddenly and pulled his sweatpants down, getting on my hands and knees. He was already at attention, ready for me. I pulled his cock into my small hands and began kneading and massaging him. He groaned aloud as I began pumping him up and down, kissing him. He started to thrust back into me hands. I leaned down and enveloped him into my mouth. His eyes rolled back into his head and I began to take more and more of him into my mouth. He started to thrust into my mouth and I stopped him.

"Jake!" I reprimanded him. "You know not to do that!"

"I can't help it," I breathed.

I got up and pulled my panties off, throwing them at him. I placed one foot on either side of his legs and sat down on top of him. For the first time, he noticed that I had shaved myself… something I hadn't done before. I was completely bald.

"Bella?" he murmured.

"I did it for you," I whispered in his ear. "Do you not like it?"

He couldn't answer me. He twisted his hips underneath me, trying to generate some friction against his swollen member. I reached for my corset and began to untie it, loosening it enough to pull off.

I leaned in and kissed him deeply, pressing myself against him, driving him absolutely crazy.

"Bella, please," he groaned. "I need you. It hurts."

I nodded, trying not to laugh at his pain. Apparently I was good at this. "Okay," I breathed.

I slowly lowered myself onto him. He filled me up and I cried out for him.

"Jake," I breathed.

"Shhh," he whispered. "Norah's asleep."

I started moving up and down onto him, my breasts bouncing with me. He helped push me up and bring me back down onto him.

"God, Jake," I murmured. I started bouncing faster. He leaned in and pulled one of my nipples into his mouth. I didn't stop him as he began suckling. I ran my fingers through his hair, moaning aloud. He started bringing me down on him faster and harder.

He exploded into me a few seconds later, initiating my climax. He continued thrusting into me, riding out our orgasms until we were both completely spent. I collapsed into his arms and we fell into the couch. He wrapped me into his arms and kissed my temple.

"I guess I could see how that could be dancing," he breathed hoarsely.

I smirked. "I suppose."

Our breathing eventually calmed down and Jacob kissed me before picking me up and taking me into the bedroom. He laid me down on the bed and we cuddled under the blankets, slowly falling asleep.

* * *

___Oh, no! Bella's got vampires coming after her! Yikes! She just can't seem to catch a break, can she?_

_Another chapter done. :D_ I_ hope you enjoyed this one. _

_Thanks for reading!_  
_Please review!_

_xoxo _


	7. Why I Hate Stupid Reeking Bloodsuckers

Chapter 7 – Why I Hate Stupid Reeking Bloodsuckers

* * *

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Twilight? Because if I did, I wouldn't need to resort to fan fiction to get my stories out there… If I owned Twilight, Edward Cullen wouldn't have won Bella. Jacob would have. And Renesmee wouldn't exist.

* * *

We returned home from a trip to the park with Norah the following Monday. As we walked into the house, I heard the phone ring. A strange, sweet smell filled the house, strong enough to make my nose burn. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I was immediately on guard.

"Bring! Bring!" Norah mimicked the phone. "Daddy get phone!" she squealed.

"Yeah," I said, my eyes flashing toward Bella. "Daddy gets the phone."

I headed over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" I said, smiling at Norah who was flailing around in Bella's arms with excitement.

"Jacob?" an all-too-familiar voice replied.

"Yeah," I said. "What?"

"We're back in Forks," Edward responded. "I was just – "

The rest of his statement was drowned out by a sharp knocking at the door.

Bella ran over and answered it.

"Sam?" she asked, frowning.

"Jacob!" Sam replied, running into the house. "Do you smell it?"

"Sam, what's going on?" Bella asked, a terrified look on her face.

"Jacob?" Edward asked, frowning.

Sam ignored Bella and immediately ran into our bedroom. I could faintly smell the smell of bloodsucker, but it wasn't poignant enough to burn... so faint, in fact, that I hadn't noticed it until Sam had brought it to my attention.

"Vampire," I replied to Edward. "Someone's been here. One of you?" I asked him.

"No," Edward said. "We just got here and you know the treaty doesn't allow us on your land."

"Then who?"

"Irina," he said under his breath. "Jacob, we're going to the treaty line. We won't go over it, but we'll be alongside our part of it. We want to be able to catch her if she comes down our side. Can you have a few wolves patrol your side of the line and a few others protecting Bella? Or would that be spreading your resources too thin?"

"No," I replied. "I can go down there with Paul, Jared, Embry, and Brady patrol the border. That's enough of our stronger wolves. And I'll have Sam, Seth, Leah, Collin, and Quil staying here at home in case she tries to come here. Five should be enough to take down one bloodsucker if need be. But I'm warning you, Cullen, if that thing comes anywhere near my property, I will take her down, regardless of the consequences you and your family will have. I won't risk Bella for anyone."

"I understand," Edward replied solemnly. "I'd do the same thing. I'm sorry that Irina is causing so many problems for you and Bella. I would have Tanya and Kate come down here and try to rein her under control, but I don't want to put them at risk with your pack. And I don't want them getting hurt trying to save their sister. Especially when their sister is doing her best to hurt the one woman I ever really loved."

I kept my mouth shut.

"Edward, I'll talk to you later," I said. "I need to call a pack meeting."

* * *

An hour later, the entire pack was crammed into my rather small living room, plus Emily, Levi, Rachel, and Kim. I should have known that they wouldn't leave their imprints unattended, especially with the threat of a vampire attack looming over the reservation.

Bella let Norah out of her sight long enough for her to go toddling off toward her room with Levi.

"Alright," I announced. "We have a perpetrator. We just have to figure out how to catch her. According to Edward Cullen, we're looking for a female with light blonde hair. Her name is Irina. She's a friend-of-sorts of the Cullens… a relative of their friends in Denali in Alaska. I give the half of the pack that I'm leading to patrol the perimeter full permission to use any and all force necessary to bring her down. However, I do not want you to use any force against the Cullens. We have a treaty to uphold and whomever uses unprovoked force against them will be dealt with most severely.

"I'm going to go with Paul, Jared, Embry, and Brady to patrol the perimeter. That means Sam, Seth, Leah, Collin, and Quil will stay here at the house with the women and the kids."

"No!" Bella, Kim, and Rachel interjected at the same time.

"What?" I asked, feeling rather annoyed.

"I don't want you going down there," Bella said. "What am I supposed to do? Sit here and wait for you to come back?"

"Bells – " I sighed.

"And I don't want Paul going down there either, Jacob. I'm already stressed out enough with this pregnancy. I don't need another reason to worry," Rachel said, crossing her arms.

"You guys, I'm not sending the youngest wolves down there. Especially since Embry and Seth are the only ones who have taken down experienced vampires. That's not a strong enough group. It's one vampire and I'm positive that the group I've assigned can handle it. Hell, Sam, Jared, Paul, Embry, and I took down Laurent four years ago. And honestly, there wasn't enough for us all to do."

"Yeah," Embry said. "That was rather entertaining. Sam and Jacob just jumped on him and the rest of us just sat back and watched."

"See?" I said, looking at Bella pointedly.

"You jumped on him?" Bella choked.

I knew what she was thinking.

"Bells, honey, I can take care of myself. We'll be fine. I promise."

"They will be fine," Sam said soothingly. "And if they need extra help if they find her, I'll be sitting here in the living room in wolf form. I can send Seth and Leah down there."

"No," I interjected.

"What?" Sam asked, looking at me strangely.

"I don't want Leah going down there. You remember what happened with that redheaded female and the newborns. Leah nearly got herself hurt and I got hurt trying to cover her ass," I retorted.

"I can take care of myself!" Leah snapped. "I don't need O Great Alpha to watch me like a hawk."

"You're not going down there," I snapped, my voice ringing with authority.

Leah glared at me and sat back down on the floor.

"Fine. Whatever," she said.

"I guess I can send Seth and Collin down there if you need help," Sam said. "That way Quil, Leah, and I are up here to cover the house."

I nodded. "That's fine."

I got up and kissed Bella and Norah each on the cheek and then headed out the door, Paul, Jared, Embry, and Brady following me. It was time to track down a vampire.

* * *

Upon arriving at the perimeter, the stench of bloodsucker was so strong it made me want to hurl. I could tell that my brothers were in just as much pain as I was.

_I'm sorry guys_, I thought.

_It's no big deal_, Embry thought. _Just part of the job description_.

_Taking care of Bella Swan is not in the job description!_ Paul snarled.

_Bella is my wife. Whether you like it or not, that's in the job description. We'd be doing the same thing for Rachel,_ I growled.

_Rachel is different. That's your sister and my wife,_ Paul grumbled irritably.

_Paul, if you're going to continue being a pain in my ass, you can go back to the house and send Quil here instead,_ Embry growled. _We really don't need this right now._

_True, _Brady quipped.

Everyone looked around at Brady in surprise. He was usually quite reserved, being the youngest of the wolves when he had transformed at thirteen. At fifteen, he still hadn't changed much personality-wise.

_Wait! _Jared growled, peering through the trees. A pale shape darted out from behind a tree.

"It's me!" a voice called.

_Edward?_ I thought.

"Yes," Edward said, coming out from the brush line. "I didn't find Irina. But I thought you should know that Alice saw her headed back to Denali for the time being. She's going to talk to her sisters. But she hasn't decided whether or not she's coming back."

_You expect us to trust a bloodsucker? _Paul spat.

_I trust Alice, _I growled at him_. Shut up._

_But why should we trust this Alice thing? _Jared asked.

"Alice can see the future. Her visions are subjective, based on what Irina decides. She's watching her. I can guarantee you one thing though. We will know exactly what Irina decides and when she decides to do it. We will have adequate time to make the appropriate call. And if Irina comes on this side, I will take care of her myself," Edward growled.

_But doesn't this Irina character know how Alice's visions work since you've spent a lot of time with her in the past?_ I asked.

"Alice is always very careful about who she shares her visions with. The only person who knows exactly how Alice's visions work outside of this family is Tanya. And Tanya has sworn to secrecy and she won't tell a soul. Even her own sister."

_Okay, _I thought._ That answer was good enough for me and Edward had no reason to lie._

"Jacob, can you bring Bella to our home in Forks?" Edward asked suddenly. "I need to inform her of the situation as well. She's heard of Irina… I think she would benefit from knowing the exact risk involved here."

_You want me to bring Bella to your house?_ I couldn't keep the contempt out of my thoughts.

"Bella is your wife now," Edward said. "I understand that. There's nothing romantic about this. I care about Bella… as a friend. Besides, Alice misses Bella terribly. Alice did nothing to be cut out of Bella's life. She was the one who suggested Bella come over, so she can tell her about the vision firsthand. Please, Jacob."

_Fine, _I thought._ For Alice. Not for you._

"I know you're fairly close to Alice," Edward said. "She likes you, too."

_Here we go again, _Paul thought_. Jake and Bella drag us back into involvement with the bloodsuckers._

_There's still a treaty in effect, Paul, _Embry chided him_. The treaty hasn't been broken. Bella wasn't bitten._

_A bloodsucker likes Jacob, _Jared thought, rolling his eyes. _Go figure._

I ignored their commentary.

_Fine, _I thought_. We'll be over later._

With that, I shot through the woods, back toward the reservation, the rest of the pack trailing me, each adamantly thinking their disapproval.

* * *

Upon arriving back home, I ushered Bella into the Rabbit, putting Norah in the backseat.

"Jake, where are we going?" she asked me, frowning.

"I'll tell you when we get there," I said. "But we've got to take Norah to Sam and Emily's."

"Why can't she come?" Bella asked, crossing her arms.

"I go!" Norah cried, pouting.

"Because this is something that you and I need to do and we're not going to be able to chase after little kids the whole time," I said, beating around the bush.

Bella sighed, leaning back into the passenger-side seat.

"Whatever."

We dropped Norah off at Sam and Emily's and then I headed down the familiar road toward Forks.

"We're going to Charlie's?" Bella asked, looking over at me. "Why are we going to Charlie's?"

"We're not," I said, keeping my eyes on the road.

"Jake… where are we going?" Bella said constrictedly as I turned onto the heavily treed road that led to the Cullens' lair.

"You'll see," I said, deliberately not answering her.

As we got closer and closer to our destination, Bella's frown deepened.

"Jake, we're not going to see the Cullens. I don't want to see the Cullens!"

"It's not a case of what you want. It's a case of what's best for you and Norah. We need to figure out how to keep you safe and you need to be involved in this discussion."

"When did you decide to come here?" she asked. "Does he know we're coming?"

"He asked us to. When I was talking to him this afternoon, he told me to come by with you. The group I led down to the perimeter ran into him."

Bella nodded. "Okay."

That was it, her complete response. She didn't elaborate on her feelings. I pulled into the driveway and she sighed, looking up at the large house that had been her home while she was married to the bloodsucker.

"I'm sorry, baby," I said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "I know you didn't want to come over here. But you know I'm just trying to keep you safe. I want you to have a say in what happens… with me, you'll always have a choice and an input."

"I know," Bella whispered. "Thank you."

"Bella!" an ecstatic voice squealed, running down the stairs leading up to the front porch.

"Alice," Bella said, smiling. Her smile conveyed warmth. She still loved Alice like a sister. She got out of the car and Alice wrapped her into a tight hug.

"You didn't bring Norah," she pouted. "I wanted to see my niece. I bet she's really grown up."

"I have a picture," Bella said. "Jake, hand me that picture behind the steering wheel."

I handed it to her and got out of the car.

"Oh, Bella, she's gorgeous!" Alice said. "She looks like both of you."

"You know, you're the first person to say that," Bella said, sighing. "Everyone says she looks just like Jacob."

"Well, I can see better than most people. She's got your eyes and your nose. And her upper lip is a little thicker than her lower one, like yours. But they're the shape of Jacob's."

Bella nodded.

"How have you been, Jacob?" Alice asked me kindly.

"I've been good. Just keeping busy. Lots of pack duties, things like that," I said, smiling back at her.

"That's good. Edward's waiting for you in the living room. Come on in, you guys," she said, handing the picture back to Bella.

We headed up the walk and up the stairs of the porch. We walked into the house and Edward Cullen was sitting on the couch, stony-faced. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Edward," Bella said quietly.

"Bella," he murmured. Her presence seemed to cause him a great deal of pain. I hadn't realized that he hadn't wanted to see her. Or if he had, how torturous it must have been for him.

"How have you been?" Bella asked politely.

"Spending a lot of time in Denali. Keeping busy," Edward said shortly.

It was beyond awkward. Husband, wife, ex-husband, ex-sister-in-law-who-still-wanted-to-be-a-sister… all in one room talking about the wife's safety. All compromising, trying to come up with a decent plan.

"So I have been watching Irina like a hawk," Alice said. "She hasn't made a decision yet. As soon as she does, I'll know."

"But why would Irina want to come after me?" Bella asked. "What did I do?"

"It's nothing you did. It's simply the fact that Laurent came here to do a favor for Victoria," Edward said. "It's the fact that he was thwarted in killing you by Jacob and the wolves. She thinks that if you hadn't existed, James never would have come after you, meaning he never would have been killed, meaning Victoria never would have been upset, meaning she never would have sent Laurent here, meaning the wolf pack never would have had to kill him. Irina had feelings for Laurent… I'm not sure if they were ever requited, but nevertheless, she is extremely hurt and angry. Two things that make a vampire most dangerous. She thinks that by killing you, she will not only be avenging Laurent's death, but James and Victoria's as well," Edward finished.

"That's ridiculous!" Bella spat.

"I agree," Edward said. "I don't want to dispose of her, but I will if it keeps you safe. I won't go back on my word to you, Bella."

Bella blushed vividly and I cleared my throat.

"So what are we going to do about it?" I asked.

"I figured we could patrol the perimeter. We will take shifts… Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie and me, and then Alice and Jasper. Along with your perimeter shifts as well…"

"I don't know if I can persuade the entire pack to patrol," I said. "My pack only has three wolves. Leah, Seth, and I. The entire pack is wary of causing trouble or going out of their way… especially because of my connection with you and the past that we've shared." My eyes flashed to Bella and back to him.

"We have a treaty with them. They will not go back on it," Edward said. "Besides, Irina is not that adept. She is about as strong as Laurent when it comes to strength and ability. A group of five or six should be able to take her down quite easily."

Bella shuddered.

"What?" I asked, looking over at her.

"I just don't want you getting hurt because of me," she murmured. "Norah needs her daddy."

"I'm not going to get hurt," I said. "I promise." I wrapped my hand around hers and she sighed.

"I'm still ticked that you didn't bring her," Alice said. "I want to see her."

"Perhaps we can arrange something soon," Bella said. "I'd like you to see her, too. She's such a wonderful little girl."

"I bet," Edward said, looking over at Bella. "If she's anything like her mother." An adoring look flashed through his eyes briefly.

A low growl rose in my throat and I forced myself to shut up.

"Alright," I said. "Well, it's getting late and we need to go pick Norah up and get her into bed."

Bella nodded. "It is getting late," she agreed.

"You have a nice night," Alice said, hugging each of us. "Call me and we'll set something up. Maybe we can go shopping or something in Seattle or Port Angeles. I'd love to go buy clothes for Norah!"

"Alright," Bella said, smiling.

I took her hand and we headed back out to the Rabbit, Bella sighing. I knew she had a lot on her mind. We both did.

* * *

_Chapitre seven finished. :D_

_At this rate, this story may end up being longer than _Jacob's Baby_. I'm not quite sure. :/_

_Also, I just watched New Moon today and I was pretty disappointed. Only two Emmett scenes and I felt like Jacob was stabbed in the back by Bella. I hated how his character was portrayed in the end! I was mildly surprised by how close the two almost-kisses were... and how one took place even after Alice showed up! But I won't ramble and post spoilers for those of you who haven't seen it yet. hehe. ;)  
_

_Thanks for reading!  
Please review!  
xoxo_


	8. The Unexpected Can Take Your Socks Off

Chapter 8 – The Unexpected Can Take Your Socks Off

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. Unfortunately, I'm not as creative as Stephenie Meyer. Although I try. This is me trying with her characters. ;)

* * *

I loved Bella more than anyone ever had. She knew that. I knew that. Everyone on the freakin' reservation knew that. I had promised her that I was going to protect her and that while she was with me, she would never, ever get hurt. However, this drama with Irina was becoming more than I could handle. Over the next two weeks, I spent the majority of my time away from home, surveying the perimeter and making sure no bloodsuckers were on our land. I knew Sam had been doing the same thing.

It had seemed that our baby-making plans had been put on hold and I didn't know when we were going to resume them… or if we even were. It had been three weeks since Bella and I had been together. I knew she missed me, but between taking care of Norah during the day and patrolling the perimeter at night, I was barely getting any sleep, let alone enough time and energy to make love to Bella. I felt awful about it. She was understanding about everything though and it made me love her even more.

It was Bella's understanding that finally made me tell her about the kiss I had had with Leah a few weeks prior. I only wanted to tell her because I knew she probably would have wanted to know. It hadn't meant anything, but I didn't want Leah being the one to tell Bella. This was something I needed to do myself.

"Jake?" Bella asked early one afternoon, after I had come into the living room. I had just woken up. Lately I had been sleeping in, since I wasn't getting home until well after daybreak.

"Yeah?" I asked her.

She was biting on her bottom lip and she looked slightly apprehensive.

"I think we need to talk," she said.

"I agree," I said. I noticed Bella looked extremely nervous, anxious even.

"You go first," she said.

"Umn, okay," I said. "Bella, you know I love you, right?" I asked her.

"Of course," she said. "Why wouldn't I?"

I didn't answer her question. I just plowed right on through.

"Something happened a few weeks ago and I thought you had the right to know, so that's why I'm telling you this now. Leah and I were going on patrols and we were waiting on Seth. Her boyfriend, David, had just broken up with her because his parents didn't want them together. She was upset and crying uncontrollably. I didn't know what else to do. So I kissed her."

"You what?" Bella asked, frowning. She looked completely taken by surprise.

"It didn't mean anything at all and I was just trying to get her to stop crying and reassure her. I was aiming for her cheek and she turned her head at the last minute," I said, telling a white lie.

"Okay, so you kissed another girl to get her to stop crying? Jake, if that's all I have to worry about with you, then that's fine. Did she stop crying?" Bella laughed.

"Umn, yes," I said.

"Unless you kissed her because you have feelings for her, then that's not cheating," Bella said, looking amused. "You don't have feelings for her, do you?" Bella asked pointedly.

"No!" I exclaimed adamantly.

"Good," Bella said dismissively.

"So what were you going to tell me?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Oh," Bella said, turning bright red. "Well, you know how we were trying for a baby, right?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding.

"I don't know if we're still planning on having another baby or not, since everything's been going on with Irina and all, but umn… I think I'm pregnant," Bella said.

"You think?" I asked, my jaw dropping in shock.

"I haven't taken a test yet. I kind of wanted you to be there for that part," she said, blushing.

"We might be having a baby?" I asked her, gaping. She simply nodded. "Bells, that's great!" I exclaimed, running over to her and hugging her.

"Jake, I'm not sure yet. We still need to get a test and make sure. I've just not been feeling like myself and I was supposed to get my period this week… but it never came."

I nodded.

"I'll go get you one right now!" I said excitedly, leaning in and kissing her once more.

"You're a little excited," Bella commented, smiling brightly.

"A little, perhaps," I grinned. I headed into the hallway and called for Norah. "Norah, do you want to go to the store?" I asked her. "We'll be right back," I said to Bella. "It's right down the street. I figured Norah might want another coloring book or something to keep her occupied for a bit."

"Da store?" Norah asked, her eyes shining brightly. "Cowwor book?"

"Come on, Norah," I said, holding my hand out for her. "Let's get your jacket on."

Norah nodded, running into the living room and yanking her jacket off the coat rack.

"Norah Jane Black!" Bella gasped, running over to the coat rack. "How many times have I told you not to do that?" she admonished. "That coat rack is going to fall over right on top of you!"

"Sowwy Mommy," Norah said, looking guilty. She brought her coat back over to Bella and Bella helped her put it on. Bella simply shook her head. "Crazy girl," she muttered.

I headed out the door, my hand around Norah's. I picked her up and put her in the car. I headed to the store and Norah and I headed to the book section. She picked out a simple coloring book and a small box of crayons and then we headed to the pharmacy section. I picked up the now-familiar pink box and we headed to the check-out. The cashier was an older woman in her forties… I remembered seeing her a few times before, but I couldn't remember her name. She rung up the items and commented on how beautiful and cute Norah was. Norah smiled happily and we walked back out of the store and got back in the car.

I drove back to the house and Bella was waiting on us, sitting in the living room drinking tea.

"It's got ginger in it," she said, peering into the bottom of the glass. "I'm feeling sort of nauseous."

I nodded, handing her the small plastic bag, taking out the coloring book and crayons. She got up and went into the bathroom and I sat in the kitchen with Norah. I sat her coloring book on the table and opened the crayon box for her. She climbed up in the chair and picked out a picture of a cartoon wolf and started coloring it. I smiled.

"Hey, Norah, can you tell me which color is blue?" I asked her.

She frowned and looked down at the crayon box in her hands and pulled out a green crayon and handed it to me.

"Nope!" I said. "That's green."

"Gween?" she asked, confused.

"Yep. We're looking for blue."

She looked back down and frowned, before picking up a purple crown and handing it back to me. "Boo?" she asked.

"No, that's purple. Let's find the blue crayon," I said.

By the time we had finally found the blue crayon, Bella had come back out of the bathroom.

"That was fast," I commented.

"I want you to go in and look at it," she said. "I'm nervous."

"Nervous?" I asked, frowning in amusement.

"Well, you would be too, if you had to be the one carrying it for nine months…" she trailed off.

I nodded and got up, leaving Norah to color the wolf blue.

"It's on the sink," Bella said, taking a seat on the couch.

"Okay," I said, heading into the bathroom. I saw the little plastic stick sitting on the sink. I took a deep breath and stepped closer to it to take a better look.

A faint second line was in the second window. The test was positive.

"Bella!" I heard myself yell in astonishment.

"What?" she asked, walking toward the bathroom slowly.

I ran into the living room and swept her up in a big hug.

"Honey, it's positive," I murmured into her hair. "We're having a baby!"

I pulled back and set her feet back down on the floor and she smiled at me, her eyes shining. She nodded.

"We're having a baby," she murmured. One hand flew down to her belly and she grinned ecstatically.

"Baby?" Norah asked, twisting around in her seat.

"Norah, you're going to be a big sister!" Bella said, still grinning. Norah didn't seem to comprehend or care because she soon turned around and started coloring the sky in her picture brick red.

Thinking back to Bella's pregnancy with Norah, I couldn't see any similarities in the two situations. Here Bella and I were married with a daughter and another baby on the way. Before, it was Bella and Edward and I had been the sperm donor (for lack of a better term). I couldn't help but shiver at the memory. My knowledge of Bella's pregnancy with Norah hadn't been all peaches and cream. But this one was different. This time, I was ecstatic because I knew what road we were going down. And this one was absolutely wonderful.

* * *

Bella's first doctor's appointment was scheduled for the following week. I went with her. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Bella's doctor was a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties. Dr. Sarah Blanton, her coat read. Very similar to my mother's name. She had long, wavy black hair that was pulled back into a bun and olive-y skin.

We went into the room and the doctor asked her a boatload of questions. When was the last day of her menstrual period? When was this? What was that? I busied myself by looking at patterns in the design on the floor.

The doctor decided to do an ultrasound and showed us the baby. There it was. It's tiny heart beating on the screen. I didn't realize my jaw had dropped until Bella grinned and looked over at me, her shirt raised up and goo all over her stomach.

"Gosh, Jake. Have you never seen an ultrasound before?" she jibed.

"No," I said, my eyes locked on the tiny screen. The doctor continued to move the ultrasound doppler around, checking all of the baby's various parts.

"Is this your first child?" Dr. Sarah Blanton asked us.

"No," Bella replied. "We have a two-and-a-half year old. Her name is Norah," Bella said.

The doctor nodded. "That's a hard age."

"It is," Bella answered. "Potty-training isn't going too well."

I laughed.

"It's really not," I said, remembering Bella's frustrated voice admonishing Norah for peeing in her pull-up.

"The biggest problem I've heard is people having a newborn and trying to potty-train a toddler at the same time," Dr. Blanton said. "This baby and your daughter are going to be far enough apart so you don't have to worry about that."

I smiled. "That's good," I said.

"I just have to chase after a three year old with a huge belly," Bella laughed. Knowing her clumsiness, that would be no easy feat.

Dr. Blanton smiled yet again as she pulled out a calendar. She frowned at it in thought. "Your last menstrual period was September fifteenth, so I would place your due date around June twenty-ninth. That would make you around seven weeks. You should come in once a month until your third trimester, and then come in every two weeks after that, just to make sure things are progressing well for delivery. Do you have any questions?" she asked.

"Nope," Bella said, shrugging and looking at me.

"You guys are old pros at all of this," Dr. Blanton said, smiling. "Once again, congratulations, you guys!" She headed toward the door. "Becky will schedule your next appointment at the front desk."

We headed out of the office and got into line, waiting to get Bella's next appointment card.

"Bells?" I asked, trying to keep a serious face.

"What?" she asked, twining her hand in mine.

"Are you still planning on kicking me from here to Seattle?" I asked her, looking guilty.

"No," she sighed. "It's not twins. And I don't think I have enough energy for that," she said, getting up on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek.

* * *

_Yay. Bella's pregnant! And she knows about the kiss! And she doesn't care! Woot!  
LOL.  
Things might be a little _too_ good, if you know what I mean. ;)_

_Oh well. Happy Thanksgiving, girls (and guys, but I'm not sure how many of those I have... hehe.)_

_Thanks for reading!  
__Please review!  
__xoxo_


	9. I Know Why Leah Clearwater is a Bitch

Chapter 9 – I Know Why Leah Clearwater is a Bitch

* * *

Disclaimer: I love Jacob. I love Leah. I sort of love Bella (at times.) Does that mean I own them? Alas, no. :(

* * *

Bella and I tried to keep the news of the pregnancy under wraps for as long as we could. Things were quiet on the reservation for the next month or so. Leah hadn't mentioned the kiss I had obliged her, Irina hadn't come anywhere near the perimeter, and Sam and I made sure things were taken care of as much as possible. Emily was starting to get bigger and each time I saw Sam catch a glimpse of her, the look on his face was absolutely priceless. Sam had told me that they were expecting another boy and I couldn't have been happier for them. I had talked to Rachel the previous Saturday and she had said that things were going well for her and Paul. She said she was four months and the twins were doing well. It amazed me how close all of these new babies in La Push were going to be so close together in age. It seemed like everyone had decided to "get busy" at the same time.

At any rate, it was December and the snow was really coming down in La Push. Bella had decided to go pay Alice a visit at the Cullens. It had been a while since she had seen them and she said that Alice hadn't seen Norah since she was born, so they had gone out for a girls' day on the town in Port Angeles. I took the opportunity of the empty house to go and pay Leah a visit. It had been a while since I had spent any time with her. I had sensed some depression in her thoughts as of late, and I was curious as to what was going on. Seth had voiced his own concerns. I figured I would be the good guy and go figure out what was playing around the outskirts of her thoughts.

I headed around the back of the house and saw her watching TV through the bay window. I knocked on the door and she answered it a few seconds later.

"Oh, it's you," she said. "What do you want?"

I was taken aback at her tone of voice. I hadn't expected her coarseness.

"Bella and Norah went to go see the Cullens. I figured you might want some company today," I said hesitantly.

"Oh," she said, opening the door a little wider. "Come on in," she said dully, turning to the couch and walking back over to it.

I let myself in the door and closed it behind me. Leah sat back down on the couch and crossed her legs beneath her.

"What are you watching?" I asked her.

"The History Channel," she said. "About werewolves in the nineteenth century. They sure did believe in some freaky stuff…" she trailed off, glancing at the TV once more.

"How's Bella?" Leah asked, looking over at me.

"She's fine," I said, looking up at the vaulted ceiling of the tiny loft. I'd never been in here before. Leah had done a great job with the place. The walls were a bright cherry red with white accent crown and floor molding. A large wrought-iron stairwell circled up to the loft where I imagined her bed must have been. It was very nice… very Leah.

"And Norah?" she asked, looking past the TV, toward the kitchen now.

"Good," I said, not elaborating. I really didn't want to discuss Bella and Norah with Leah.

"And the baby?" Leah said quietly.

"Norah's fine," I said. Leah didn't know about the baby, so I saw no point in enlightening her.

"So you haven't told anyone," Leah said. "I thought you had."

"How did you know about that?" I asked her.

"I happened to walk by the house earlier and heard you and Bella talking about a baby and Norah being a big sister. I just put two and two together," she said, sighing. I couldn't help but notice she seemed a little depressed.

"When was this?" I asked her, frowning.

"About two weeks ago, I guess," Leah said. "Why does it matter?"

"You haven't told anyone, have you?" I asked her.

"Not my news to tell," she replied. "I figured you'd be like Sam and Emily and throw some big party to tell everyone. After all, you and Sam are all buddy-buddy now, right?"

"Leah…" I sighed. "You know Sam and I are… decent friends, I guess. I mean, Bella and Emily are friends and Norah and Levi are, too. They spend so much time together that I figured that I might as well -- "

"I didn't want to hear your excuses for talking to Sam, Jacob," Leah said. "I'm just proving a point."

"And what point is that, exactly?" I asked, irritated.

"Once you start hanging out with Sam, he'll be the golden boy. It seems like there's nothing Sam wants that he doesn't get."

"I can name one thing," I replied, aggravated. "Your friendship."

"Sam doesn't deserve my friendship. He broke up with me and imprinted on my cousin. That sort of blow doesn't just magically go away." Leah frowned and looked down at the rug under the coffee table, averting her eyes from mine.

"I didn't say it did," I replied. "But Leah, carrying around all of this anger and hurt doesn't do you any good. I'm just telling you this as a friend, Lee. I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Don't, Jacob," she growled. "Don't call me that. That was his name for me."

I sighed.

"Fine. Be bitter. But it's not going to start getting better until you can accept it and move on. Sam is married with a little boy and another little one on the way. You. Need. To. Move. On."

Leah sighed before looking back up at me. She suddenly jumped to her feet. "You know, I tried that. I tried moving on and look where it got me. Right back into the same fucking screwed up situation all over again. I tried moving on and you picked Bella over me. It didn't matter that she was pregnant and married to the bloodsucker. She still chose you in the end. So I don't think you're the right person to be giving me relationship advice, Oh Most High Alpha."

I felt like she had slapped me in the face. I knew she was upset, but taking hits at Bella and me was beyond ridiculous.

"Leah, now you're just being stupid," I heard myself say.

Leah stalked into the kitchen. She came back with a small cooler and slammed it in the middle of the table.

"Damn you, Jacob," she said. "This is what I spend my time doing now. Figured you should see. After all, you're the one who drove me to this point. This is what I do almost every single night. See that refrigerator over there?" she asked, pointing at it. "It's fully stocked with alcohol. Almost any kind you could imagine. And every night, when I start thinking about you and Bella and your stupid little happy family routine, I pop open another one. So let's see how many it takes, Jake. Eight, nine tonight maybe? Or maybe I should go get the vodka, too." She walked back over to the refrigerator and came back with two bottles in her hand – one clear with what I knew to be vodka and the other the golden, honey color of tequila.

"Leah," I sighed. "Don't do this."

"Don't do what?" she asked, pouring the tequila into a shot glass.

"Don't blame me for your stupidity, for one. I chose to be happy and you can't fault me for that," I said, shaking my head.

She took a shot of the tequila and smacked her lips.

"Then let's make this next one for you and Bella then, shall we?" she asked. "Or has little Jakey-Poo never gotten drunk in his whole innocent little life?"

"Leah," I said warningly.

"Come on, Jake. One drink," she said. "I just need to get my mind off all of this crap. One drink and I won't bring it up again, I promise. Let's toast to your wonderful relationship," she said sardonically.

I sighed and she pressed the tequila glass into my hand. I felt the unfamiliar burn of the hard liquor as it went down my throat. I gagged.

"Take it like a man," Leah growled.

I was curious. I'd never been drunk before, although I knew that Quil and Embry did on a bi-monthly basis. Quil, to get over the fact that Claire was aging so slowly… I knew he hated being alone. Embry got into it simply because he did everything Quil did. The two had become nearly inseparable while together in Sam's pack. Bella wasn't home and probably wouldn't be until the next morning. Why not? If Bella could go shopping with vampires with our daughter, what kept me from drinking on a Saturday night? I was ticked off that she wanted to go befriend bloodsuckers once more. I wanted to forget the drama, forget the craziness of the last few weeks, forget Irina and her plans, forget how Bella seemed not to care about my feelings...

My mind was made up and I took another glass from Leah. She grinned.

"See, it's not so bad," she said, sighing. She headed back toward the refrigerator and pulled out a jug of orange juice and poured it into her glass and added a copious amount of whiskey. She offered the same to me and I took it. It was still strong.

We continued through the early night hours, Leah making random drinks and each of us drinking them one after the other. It didn't take long for me to get completely wasted.

"Jake, you know how lonely it is, being me?" Leah slurred, sitting down next to me a couple of hours later. "I mean, Sam basically treats me like shit now and you know, I think you're the only friend I have." She started laughing. "How fucked up is that? I'm in love with my friend, Jacob. And that friend is you." she continued laughing uncontrollably. I joined in with her.

"Well, I guess being friends just fucks everything up," I said. By this point, I was seeing two of everything.

"Why are we just friends again?" Leah said, cocking her head to the side.

"Because I'm married. And my wife is pregnant. And I have a little girl. What's her name again?" I asked Leah.

"Nellie," Leah said, nodding.

"Yeah," I sighed. "She's pretty. Everyone says she looks just like me."

"It's cause you are pretty," Leah said. She was entirely too close to me by this point, but I didn't care. "Maybe your wife will go back to the leech. I mean, she's over there right now, isn't she?" Leah slurred.

"Yeah," I said. "Maybe. I don't know where she is. How long have I been here?" I asked Leah.

"I don't know," Leah replied. "But I really like having you here. You are like... _so _much fun to be around, Jake." Her voice was slower now and she scooted closer to me, rolling her eyes.

"That's what they all say," I said, nodding my head. "I'm Jake. The fun one. I make people smile. I'm everyone's replacement sun."

"You know what would really make me smile?" Leah asked.

"What?" I slurred, smiling crookedly.

"If you kissed me," Leah said. "I've wanted that for so long…" she trailed off.

Her forwardness didn't take me by surprise in the least. I was agreeable by this point. "Bella never tells me that. Nellie's always there. She walked in on us a while ago," I said, nodding.

"Well, Nellie's not here now," Leah said. "She won't walk in on _us_…"

I nodded. Leah leaned in and kissed me. Her tongue entered my mouth and I could taste the alcohol on her breath.

"You're... drunk," I giggled.

"And you're not?" she asked, pulling away.

"Good point," I said, leaning back in and kissing her again. She pushed me down on the couch and my hands snaked around her trim waist. She was so warm. My hands slowly made their way higher and Leah moaned aloud.

"That feels good, Jacob," she said, grinding against me. In my drunken state, I couldn't tell that this was wrong. It just felt good and I had no self-control. I couldn't stop. Leah Clearwater was seducing me and we were both wasted. There was nothing to make me want to stop. My body was leading my heart and the alcohol was simply furthering my dissension into Hell as Leah pushed me further into the couch, her lips trailing down my neck.

* * *

I opened my eyes the next morning to find the light blinding my vision. My head was pounding and I was dizzy with pain.

"Good morning, sunshine," an unfamiliar voice said. I cracked open one bleary eyelid to find Leah sitting on her couch. I had been passed out naked in the middle of her floor. Someone had draped a blanket over me. Leah seemed to be wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

"What the hell?" I croaked.

"Drink this," she said, handing me a glass.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Leah Clearwater's famous hang-over cure," she said. "I make a big batch of it for Quil and Embry when they get a little too carried away. They got poor Seth involved not too long ago…" she sighed.

I made sure the blanket was firmly in place before taking the glass from her. I gulped it down and gagged, spraying it across the hardwood floor.

"What is this?" I gagged.

"It's made of tomato juice, orange juice, vanilla, eggs, and syrup," she said, shrugging. "Works every time, providing the drinker can keep it down long enough."

I shook my head.

"You're torturing me," I groaned.

"No, I think you did plenty of that last night," she said scathingly. I groaned.

"Leah, we didn't… did we?" I gasped.

"Well, if the way I woke up this morning is any indication, I believe we did. Jake, I'm so sorry. I never planned any of this. I know you're married to Bella…"

"Things just got way out of hand," I said, sighing. "I've got to tell Bella about this. Is she home yet?"

"I don't know," Leah said, biting her bottom lip. "I didn't hear the Mercedes pull up, but she could have come home last night…"

I jumped up and nearly fell backwards from the pressure being exerted on my head.

"Slow down, Jake," Leah said, looking worried. "Quick movements are not a good idea in your present state."

"Obviously," I groaned. I looked around for my sweatpants. I yanked them on and headed out the door, back to the house, not saying anything to Leah in the slightest. How come it was always Leah Clearwater that got me into trouble? How come I couldn't just say NO? Apparently, I was a pushover, a pansy when I was drunk. Stupid alcohol.

* * *

_I know, a very sad chapter. But I promise I am taking this story somewhere! Everything happens for a reason! ;) Please don't be mad at me!!_

_Also, I need to buy a replacement cord for my laptop's charger. I only have one more chapter of this story pre-written. Therefore, there will probably only be one more update before Christmas. I might be getting a new laptop charger for Christmas. ;)  
__  
Thanks for reading! Please review!  
__xoxo_


	10. I HATE Alpha Commands with a Passion

Chapter 10 – I HATE Alpha Commands with a Passion

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Jacob Black. I do not own Leah Clearwater. I do not own Bella Swan/Cullen/Black. I wish I did, but I don't. So leave me alone. Thanks. ;)

A/N: I DID forget to add a chapter! Thanks for letting me realize what was going on. I was half-asleep when I uploaded the last one, so I guess the end result is that you get TWO chapters in two days. haha. :)

* * *

I got into the house and saw Bella sitting in the middle of the living room, the phone pressed to her ear. She looked up and her gaze caught mine and her jaw dropped. It took her a second to re-collect herself.

"Billy, I've found him. Call Sam and tell him to halt the search. He just came in the front door. Thanks. Bye." She sat the phone down on the cradle and ran over to me, hugging me. "Jacob, where have you been? Was there something with Irina? Did you find anything out?" She paused, pulling back. "Jake, you smell like an alcohol distillery," she frowned.

"We need to talk," I said.

"Obviously," Bella said, looking at me in confusion and wrinkling her nose.

"Is Norah here?" I asked her.

"No, she's at Sam and Emily's. I came home last night, but you never came home. There was no note, nothing. Jake, I was so worried about you!" she cried.

Her reaction only made what I had to do that much harder.

"Bells..." I murmured weakly.

"Honey, sit down," Bella said, leading me over to the couch. She sat down next to me, looking at me worriedly. "What is going on? You look horrible."

"Bells, you know I love you, right?" I asked her. "You know I love you more than anything else on this planet."

"Of course I know that," Bella said in confusion. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I made a really _huge_ mistake last night," I started.

"Umn, okay," Bella said, placing one of her hands in mine. "It can't be that bad."

"I went to Leah's last night," I said, making myself press forward with the conversation. I had to spit this out now, or I'd never have the strength to.

"Okay," Bella said, nodding. She still was so unsuspecting. She trusted me fully and I was about to shatter her confidence in me.

"Bells, I got drunk last night. Leah was making alcohol and I'd never drunk anything stronger than wine. She gave me a few shots of tequila and before I knew it, I was completely wasted." I couldn't continue. I broke off, sighing.

"Okay, so you and Leah got drunk," Bella said. "Never mind the fact that you shouldn't have taken any FORM of alcohol from her. Leah has unrequited feelings for you, but you said that you didn't have them back for her…" she trailed off.

"I don't!" I said vehemently. "Bells, you know I love you and only you, right?" I said, sighing.

She nodded. "Yes, Jake," she said, looking at me with a worried expression on her face.

"Last night, I had sex with Leah." I said it quickly, almost like pulling off a band-aid. Bella's jaw dropped and I instantly knew she hadn't been expecting that. I knew Bella had trusted me with her whole heart and I was the fool that was going to shatter it to pieces. Not Edward. Me.

"But, why?" she asked, confused. Her eyes were wide with shock and I could feel her pain radiating somewhere in my stomach. I felt sick. Who was I to do this to her? She deserved so much better than that! I had promised her that I wasn't going to hurt her! And now look what I had done.

"Bells, I was drunk; I wasn't thinking at all. I wasn't myself. I woke up this morning completely confused and not knowing what was going on. I told her that I didn't love her and I only loved you and whatever happened between us last night was nothing but my stupidity in letting her get me drunk and seducing me."

"Jake…" Bella sighed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Honey, I love you and only you. If I could do one thing to make this better, I would."

"You don't... love her?" Bella asked me.

"No," I said. And as I said it, I knew it was true. "Bella, you're the mother of my children, my wife, my other half. My life isn't complete without you. I don't want Leah and I never have."

Bella looked down at her feet, shuffling them, an intense look on her face, biting her bottom lip. When she finally looked up at me, her face betrayed no second-guesses, no conscience… just a pure, unadulterated focus.

"Jake, tell her to leave," Bella said slowly and clearly. "I'll forgive you if you give her an Alpha command. Tell Leah Clearwater to leave La Push and to never come back. If you don't love her, then you won't care if she leaves."

I looked at Bella in astonishment. "Bella, you know what that would do to Seth?" I murmured.

"I didn't say she had to go far away. I just want her out of La Push… out of our backyard. Jake, if you don't do this, I'll take Norah and I'll leave. I don't want to, but I will."

I knew I didn't have a choice. I valued my family above everything else. I would have to tell Leah to leave. Whether I wanted to or not. This was messing with my family and that was one thing I knew that couldn't happen.

I headed over to Leah's with a heavy heart. I knew what had to be done. That didn't mean I was looking forward to it. Hadn't Leah already had her heart broken enough? Who was I to go and break it for her again? I sighed.

I knocked on the door and Leah answered it.

"Was she home?" she asked, looking genuinely worried.

I could only nod.

"Do you want to come back in?" she asked blankly.

I shook my head.

"Then what? Jake, it's December. It's cold," she complained.

"Leah, leave La Push tonight," I said, my voice ringing with authority. It was the Alpha command that Bella had instructed I make, one that I had never wanted to, but one that I knew I had to. I had no other choice.

Leah looked at me in surprise.

"Jake," she gasped. "I know last night was a huge mistake, but La Push is my home. You can't expect me to get up and just leave…"

"Leah, last night can never happen again. The only way I can ensure that that never happens again is if you leave. You don't have to go far… you can stay in Forks or at the Makah reservation. Maybe if you go to the Makahs and become Makah then David's parents will finally accept you."

"Jacob, you know I can't do that," she said. "I'm Quileute by birth and Quileute I will stay."

"But you are no longer part of this tribe," I said painstakingly.

Leah's eyes welled up with tears and I knew I had hurt her more than she had ever hurt me… more than Sam had ever hurt her. Sam had never threatened to take away her position as a member of this tribe. That was a right that had been born to her, one I knew she deserved. But I couldn't keep Leah around if it was going to be detrimental to my marriage and my children's lives. There was just no way Bella and Leah could co-exist peacefully as next-door neighbors.

"Fine," she said, slamming the door in my face. I saw her long black hair swish in the window. I heard her tears rip from her throat and I instantly felt remorse. What had Leah really done wrong? In the end, if I would have been strong enough the previous night to stop the events from occurring, Leah would have never had to leave. But I was too damn selfish to save my own marriage and my own family… and I knew that Leah would never forgive me for it.

I headed back up to the house and saw Bella looking out the window from Norah's bedroom. She turned and pulled the curtain shut as I jumped over the fence and walked into the kitchen.

Bella was sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands. I walked through the French doors into the kitchen and she didn't even look up.

"I told her to leave," I said quietly. "She'll be gone by tomorrow."

Bella simply nodded.

"We have a life together, Jake" she said slowly. "Norah, you, and me… and this baby," she tacked on as an afterthought. You have to know that I can't let anything come between us. You know Norah needs both of us…"

"I love you," I told her, taking a seat next to her at the table. "They say what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. We'll get through this. It was just one drunken night and I regret it with everything in my heart, Bells."

Bella simply shook her head.

"It was not simply one drunken night, Jake. You had sex with another woman. Whether you meant to or not is irrelevant. You promised that you would never hurt me, Jake. You broke your promise."

I sighed. "Bella, I'm going to make it up to you! I'm going to fix this! And I'm not going to do it ever again! I was drunk. And I swear to you, Bella… I will never go near alcohol ever again."

Bella sighed.

"I'm going to forgive you for Norah and the baby," she said, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. "But it's going to take me a while to forget about it."

I nodded. "I know," I said.

Later that day, I decided to head out for a while. I needed to clear my head and Bella's constant watching over me was starting to drive me absolutely crazy. I did feel horrible about what had transpired between Leah and I, but it had been an accident. It wasn't like I had _wanted _it to happen. Quite honestly, I hadn't.

On my way back home, I decided to stop by Billy's house. It had been a while since I'd seen him and Bella had been the one making sure he had breakfast and dinner made as of recently.

I walked up the familiar ramp leading up to the front door and let myself in. Billy was sitting in the living room, watching college basketball.

"Hey Dad," I said, coming over to the couch and sitting next to him.

"Hey son," Billy said, smiling at me. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm sorry about that. I've just been so busy lately, it's been insane."

"I know how it is," Billy said, nodding.

"I've got some good news and some bad news for you," I sighed. "And I kind of need your advice."

"Sure," Billy said, turning the volume down on the television. "Fire away."

"Bella's pregnant," I said bluntly.

Billy grinned broadly.

"Really?" he asked. "That's great! I'm going to be a grandpa for the fourth time?"

"Yeah," I said, returning the smile. "Only problem is that Bella and I are having problems in our relationship," I continued, looking into his eyes for any sort of reaction.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked, frowning. "You and Bella were made for each other."

"I thought so," I sighed. "And I love her more than anything, don't get me wrong. But Leah decided to be stupid. I went over there because I knew she was upset and pretty much made the biggest mistake of my life."

"Jake, you didn't..." Billy trailed off.

"She got me drunk and seduced me. I was so wasted that I couldn't even remember Norah's name," I admitted. "I kept calling her Nancy or Nellie or something."

Billy gave a low whistle before shaking his head.

"There's more," I said. "Bella told me the only way she wouldn't leave me was if I gave Leah an Alpha command and told her to leave La Push. So I went back over there this morning and I did. I told her she had to be gone by tomorrow."

Billy's eyes widened.

"Jake, you might want to get clearance from Sam on that..." he trailed off.

"Dad, what else am I supposed to do?" I groaned. "It's either Bella and Norah and my unborn child or Leah. I'm not going to choose Leah over my family. I'm not in love with her and I never have been."

"Jake, I know you probably don't want to think of this, but did you and Leah use any form of birth control?" Billy asked abruptly.

I froze.

"No," I admitted. "But Leah is convinced that she's a genetic dead end because she's not having cycles anymore."

"I'm just saying that if Leah winds up pregnant, she can come back to La Push. A child overrules any Alpha command that you've given. And because you've told her that she has to leave, how is she supposed to inform you if that unfortunate circumstance _does _occur?"

"It's not going to," I said, shaking my head. "It took Bella and I over three months of regular sex to conceive this baby. That's not going to happen."

Billy simply nodded.

"If you're sure," he said.

"Did you ever tell Mom about sleeping with Embry's mom?" I asked him.

"I did," Billy said, sighing.

"And how did that go?" I asked.

"She was very upset with me for a while," Billy said. "I think the biggest part was that she blamed herself because she thought that if she had paid me more attention, then I wouldn't have even thought about Beth that way. But Beth and I had slept together more than just once. The situation between you and Leah is completely different. Your mother did forgive me and I stopped seeing Beth after she moved up to the Makah reservation. She came back seven months later, pregnant with Embry. I never slept with her again after that."

I nodded.

"I think Bella understands that I never meant to cheat on her. I was drunk and taken advantage of and I told her that. I think it's just hard on her because I promised her that I wouldn't hurt her and look what I ended up doing," I sighed.

"Tip number one. Never promise a woman anything. They will hold you to it. I know you love Bella and she would be a fool to think you didn't."

I sighed.

"You should probably get back home. She's probably wondering where you are," Billy sighed. "Things will work out, mark my words. If I was able to fix things with your mother after having screwed them up ten times what you have, then you should be able to fix things with Bella."

I hugged Billy and smiled.

"Thanks Dad," I said, heading for the door.

* * *

_Chapter done. Finally. :) This one took me a while to write._

_Things are getting complicated!! :D_

_Thanks for reading! Please review._

_xoxo_


	11. Bleeding Love

Chapter 11 – Bleeding Love

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Jacob Black. End of story.

* * *

The next week or so was excruciating. I knew I had every reason to be hurt by what Jacob had done. I had given up everything for Jake and Norah, including divorcing my husband for him. Edward had never cheated on me. But the love I had for Jake was a hundred times what I had felt for Edward. I remembered something Renée had told me long before she had married Phil. _Being in love means giving someone the power to break you. _But Jacob had promised that he would never hurt me. And in nearly three years, he hadn't.

But, I _was_ hurt. In over a week, I hadn't said much to Jacob, other than anything having to do with Norah or preparing Billy's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was three months pregnant and to be honest, I wasn't really paying much attention to the pregnancy. I was too focused on everything else going on. Hardly anyone on the reservation even knew Jacob and I were expecting another baby. I needed an escape... a way to get my head away from everything else. Jacob was out doing something with the pack; he had left a note to me on the refrigerator before leaving that morning. I decided to head over to Sam and Emily's. It had been a while since I had talked to her and I knew Norah would want to see Levi. I got up out of bed and shook my head to clear my thoughts. It was a little after nine in the morning.

I put Norah in her car seat and headed out to the Uley's house down the street. Norah was fast asleep, still in her pajamas. But I didn't care. I just needed someone to talk to.

I pulled up in the driveway and pulled Norah out of the car seat. She barely stirred. I rang the doorbell and Emily answered it, frowning at me.

"Bella, are you okay?" she asked, looking at me with concern.

"I need someone to talk to," I said, frowning.

"Here," she said, reaching for Norah. "I'll put her to sleep in our bedroom."

I nodded, handing Norah over to her. Emily took her back to her bedroom and came back in a minute or so later, looking at me with concern.

"Bella, what's going on?" she asked, searching my face.

"Everything," I said, sitting down on a nearby couch.

"Okay," she said, taking a seat next to me. "Explain."

I took a deep breath before continuing. I didn't want to tell Emily, but I felt like I needed to. I would explode if I held this in any longer.

"Jake slept with Leah," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

Emily's reaction was anything but predictable. She gaped at me for a split second before responding.

"Oh, honey," she said, giving me a hug.

"Leah got him drunk when he went over there when I took Norah to go see Alice. We went shopping in Port Angeles and I was gone all day. You know, that morning when we couldn't find Jake? He was over at Leah's," I said, trying to keep the hysterics out of my voice.

"Leah is manipulative," Emily said. "I love her because she's family, but after everything happened with Sam and his transformation and the imprinting and everything, she just sort of lost it. I can barely hold a conversation with her anymore because of the way she looks at me, like she's _expecting _me to hurt her or something. I never wanted to hurt Leah, but I really didn't have a choice in the matter."

I nodded in understanding.

"But that doesn't give her an excuse to sleep with my husband," I growled.

"You're right," Emily agreed. "It doesn't."

"There's more," I said, looking down at my knees.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, uncomprehendingly.

"I told Jacob to make Leah leave," I said, sighing. "I made him give her an Alpha command. I needed to get her out of La Push. She's done nothing for the past three years but threaten our relationship and I just... _lost _it. She's gone and she won't be coming back."

Emily raised her eyebrows in shock.

"Leah's out of La Push for good?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"But that means that Jacob's pack only has two wolves. I understand why you did what you did, but that's not very conducive to pack safety, especially with that vampire running around. I'm going to speak to Sam and see if he can ask around and find a wolf to join Jacob's pack instead. Maybe Quil or Embry. That's just not good that Jacob's pack is that small... Sam's is rather large anyway."

I nodded. "I guess."

"You can't be holding up too well," Emily said, placing one hand on my knee.

"I'm really not," I said. "Jake and I are only talking when the subject has something to do with Norah or Billy. Other than that, we're just... barely talking at all."

Emily sighed. "That's not good," she said keenly.

"Obviously not," I shrugged. "But I can't just forgive him over this. I can't pretend that he didn't do anything wrong."

"No, you can't," Emily replied. "He did do something wrong. And I'm pretty sure he knows it. Sam said that Jake's seemed a little stressed out lately."

I didn't respond.

"Is everything else okay? With Norah and Billy?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Norah's doing good and Billy's as healthy as a horse as always," I smiled. "Jake and I are expecting another baby."

Emily's jaw dropped.

"Really?" she squealed. "Bella, that's great!"

"During any other time, I'd think it's great, too. Both Jacob and I wanted this baby, but his recent rendezvous with Leah kinda put a damper on the whole affair."

Emily nodded sympathetically.

"How far along are you?" she asked, frowning.

"I'm already 13 weeks," I said. "We hadn't told anybody and things have just been really busy lately."

"You're already three months?" Emily gaped. "You don't look like you're that far along!"

"Yeah, well, it took me a while to show with Norah, too," I answered.

Emily nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't see you much when you were pregnant with Norah. Just at the baby shower and a few other times here and there."

"So have you and Sam decided on a name for baby boy number two?" I asked, changing the subject.

"We've got it narrowed down to three or four names," she said. "But we're hopelessly dead-locked. Sam likes Rylan and Declan. And I like Wyatt and Aden."

I smiled, half laughing. "I guess you're continuing the tradition of interesting names. No William or Joseph in your future?"

"Definitely not," she laughed. "We haven't even gotten to middle names. I keep putting our last name with each one and I think Rylan Uley just sounds weird. And Wyatt Uley does too, to be perfectly honest. So we'll probably settle on Aden or Declan."

"What about Aden Wyatt Uley?" I asked. "That's a good name."

"I do like that," she said, frowning. "I'll suggest that to him. But he's dead set on Declan. I don't even know why. I asked him and he said it just sounded like a good name."

"Just argue that you're the one that has to push the baby out," I teased. "And that means you get final say on names."

Emily giggled. "I should say that. Had you and Jacob talked about names before everything happened recently?"

"Actually yes," I said. "I really like Rowan for a boy. And I think he mentioned liking Lily for a girl."

Emily nodded. "I like that. Rowan Jacob Black."

"So do I," I admitted.

"Lily Isabella is pretty for a girl," Emily offered. "Or maybe Lily Eden."

"To be honest, I haven't really given this pregnancy much thought. I've got a doctor's appointment scheduled for next week, but other than that, I'm just letting things take care of themselves. It's not like I need one more thing to stress out about."

"I understand," Emily said. "But you know that if you need anything at all that I'm here. I might be hormonal and frustrating and fat, but I'm still here."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You are not fat," I disagreed.

"Sure, sure," Emily said, smiling. Her response reminded me of Jacob and my bruised heart gave a painful throb.

She obviously noticed my discomfort and decided to distract me.

"Sam and I have started working on the baby's nursery," she said. "We've pulled out Levi's old crib and bedding. We're going with a sailboat theme. You want to come see?"

"Sure," I said, shrugging.

Emily dragged me down the hall to the empty room down the hall. Sitting against one wall was Levi's old crib. The walls were painted a light blue, with red and white accents. A large white square was against one wall.

"What's that for?" I asked, pointing at it.

"I'm going to paint a big sailboat there. Sam went out and bought some low-fume paints so I can," she grinned.

"Oh, that's awesome," I said, grinning back for her benefit.

"You know, we already had a name picked out for a girl," Emily said, crossing her arms over her belly.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "We were going to go with Briony Autumn for a girl. But this baby decided to be a boy instead." She laughed.

"Were you guys hoping for a girl?" I asked.

"It really didn't matter. But that was the one name we could agree upon. Of course, I should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy."

"I know what you mean," I said, sighing. "I picked out Norah's name. After she was born, I just changed her middle name."

"Hey girls," a voice said at the door.

I turned around and saw Sam standing at the door.

"Hey, Sam," I said, smiling at him.

"Bella," he replied, nodding. "You should get home. I'll escort you. The Cullens made contact again this morning, saying that they had seen that the female vampire that was up here a while back is on her way back."

Fear stabbed viciously through my heart. _Norah._

"Norah is sleeping in our bedroom," Emily said, almost as if she was reading my thoughts.

"Mommy?" a small voice asked, peering from behind Sam's legs. It was Levi.

"There's Mama's boy," Emily grinned at her son. "Somebody's awake!"

Levi rubbed his eyes blearily with the back of his hands. Sam leaned down and picked him up, handing him to Emily. He went into their bedroom and came back out with Norah, who was yawning. She reached toward me and buried her face into my neck.

"You can drive back. I'll sit in the passenger side seat," Sam said. He looked back over at Emily. "Paul and Brady are all watching the house," he told her.

I leaned in and gave her a one-armed hug. "Thanks for talking to me today," I told her. "You have no idea how much I appreciated it."

"Yeah," Emily said. "Go ahead and get home." I could tell she was nervous; her words nearly tripped over each other.

"Okay," I said, following Sam out to the car.

Jacob and Quil were standing outside the house upon our return, waiting for us.

"Thanks, Sam," Jacob said. "I've sent Embry, Jared, Seth, and Collin down to the perimeter. That should be fine for now."

Sam nodded. "That's fine."

I pulled Norah out of her car seat and headed into the house.

"You realize that I would be much safer if I was at the Cullen's right now?" I asked him.

"You're not going there," Jacob replied.

"Why not?" I asked him. "You didn't seem to miss me much when I was gone last time." It was a low blow and I knew it. I saw the pain flash across Jacob's eyes.

"That is not fair at all," he snapped.

"Well, you fucking Leah behind my back wasn't exactly fair either," I growled. I noticed Quil look over at Jacob in shock.

"You're hurt," Jacob replied. "I know that. But I've since apologized, given a reason for what happened, and you _still _can't move on!"

"What would you do if I went and had sex with Edward behind your back?" I asked him. "What would you do if I told you that this baby wasn't yours?"

"Baby?" Quil asked. His question went unanswered.

Jacob stumbled backward. The pain had reached a peak.

"It is mine," he choked. "If you had carried the spawn to term, the entire pregnancy would have only lasted three months."

I knew he was right. His term for EJ was something that I'd learned to accept, even if I didn't like it.

"I'm sick of fighting, Bells. I love you. You know that."

"You sure do have a crappy way of showing it," I muttered.

"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be here right now, protecting you from Irina," he said immediately. "If I didn't love you, I would have chosen the good of the pack over you. But instead, I sent Leah away. What else do I have to do to make this up to you, Bells? I'm lost."

"I don't know," I said. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for what you did. And even if I can, I'll _never _forget about it."

Jacob cursed and walked outside, kicking a pot across the porch. It slammed against the porch railing and shattered. I sighed and picked Norah up and headed into her bedroom. Perhaps I could distract myself by playing with her.

"Mommy?" she asked, reaching for me.

"What, Norah?" I asked her.

"No fighting," she said, shaking her head sternly.

I sighed.

* * *

_Chapter done. :)  
__I know... Bella and Jacob are still being stupid and frustrating. :(  
Also, I know a lot of you are mad at me right now for the things that happened in the last chapter. However, I hoped that my readers would have a little more faith in me when it comes to how I'm going to have things in the end. The description says that this is a JB story and a JB story it will remain. Things are still being worked out. Every story has its parts where conflict gets heated and the next couple of chapters are going to be like that. However, everything WILL work out in the end. Just have some faith in me.  
__But anyway, please review! :D  
__Thanks for reading!!  
__xoxo_


	12. Is Murder Really a Crime of Passion?

Chapter 12 – Is Murder Really a Crime of Passion?

* * *

Disclaimer: Jacob Black is not mine. I am not fictional. However, if I had the choice to become a fictional character, I would want to be Bella Swan, so I could make the choice to be with Jacob forever and ever... :D

* * *

The next two weeks were filled with still more silence. I was walking back in the door one afternoon, having just come back from patrols, when I heard Bella admonishing Norah.

"Norah!" she exclaimed. "How many times have I told you not to run outside without telling me where you're going?"

"Mommy!" Norah replied. "Me go see We-by!" she said, shaking her head and trying to pull Bella toward the door.

"Norah Jane," I said sternly. "Listen to your mother."

"No!" Norah yelled.

"You realize that telling her to listen to me does absolutely nothing?" Bella snapped. "If it was that easy, I would have had her listening a long time ago."

"You don't have to get all snippy with me," I replied heatedly. "That does absolutely nothing. I'm not a child."

"Seems like all you do anymore is act like one," Bella sniffed. She sat down on the couch.

"Is that all you live for anymore?" I asked her. "Just to argue with me?"

"What do you want me to do?" Bella asked. "Pretend that nothing happened? Sorry, Jacob. I'm not a computer. You can't program me to do whatever you want. You can't program me to care one day and not care the next. That's completely and utterly – "

"I know you're pregnant and hormonal," I said loudly, drowning out her reprimands, "but you are being _stupid _right now!"

"I'M BEING STUPID?" she roared.

"Yes you are!" I yelled back.

"Fine!" Bella screeched. "You didn't think I was stupid when we were working on having this baby!" she yelled, pointing to her stomach.

"Because you were semi-sane then!" I exclaimed. I couldn't help but notice that even when Bella was beyond pissed off, she was still beautiful. And I couldn't help but also notice that I was pretty well-matched. Even when we were both mad, we could equally counter each other.

"Semi-sane?" she asked. "Are you calling me crazy?"

"Maybe I am," I said.

"Fine!" she repeated. "I'm going to Emily's! Norah?" she asked, turning around. I looked around, not seeing Norah anywhere.

"Norah?" Bella repeated. She looked up and her eyes met mine in horror.

"Norah!" I called loudly. "Baby, where are you?"

No response.

Bella and I reacted in a split second. She shot into the hallway and I looked in all of the cabinets in the kitchen, opening and closing them. Perhaps our argument had scared her.

I heard the squeal of tires and a loud scream. I jumped up and Bella came running through the hallway and out the door.

"NORAH!" she shrieked.

I was out the door in a flash.

Sue Clearwater's blue Suburban was pulled catercorner on the road, her back wheels on the road, her front wheels in Billy's yard. She was standing over something small in the middle of the road, a horrified look on her face. My heart stopped.

"Don't touch her!" Bella yelled.

I felt like I was going to be sick. That couldn't be...

"Sue, call 911!" I said, running toward the road. I reached the road in a flash.

Norah was lying in the middle of the road, a deep gash on her forehead. She wasn't moving.

"Did you hit her?!" Bella yelled.

"She was toddling across the middle of the road," Sue replied, looking down at Norah with a dazed and horrified expression on her face. "I was looking down to grab my cell phone to call Billy because Charlie wanted me to pick him up and when I looked up, Norah was right in front of my car. I swerved, but not fast enough. I still hit her. I didn't run over her, but I still hit her!" Sue looked shocked as I looked up at her.

"Norie," Bella cried, falling down to her knees next to our daughter. "_Please_, wake up!"

I knelt down across from Bella and took Norah's tiny wrist in my hand. She was breathing; I could feel a pulse. I gingerly picked her up and sat her in the backseat of Sue's Suburban.

"Bella," I snapped. "Sit with her and _don't move her_."

Bella nodded weakly and jumped in the back seat.

"Sue, get in the passenger-side seat," I instructed. "I'm going to go ahead and get her to the hospital."

Sue jumped in the car and I ran over to it and started the engine. I slammed the door shut and swerved the car around and sped to the hospital. I ripped Sue's phone out of her hand and dialed the hospital's number.

"Emergency Center," the receptionist said brightly.

"This is Jacob Black," I said quickly. "My daughter's just been hit by a car and I'm running her in."

"Let me go ahead and get your information," the receptionist said quickly. "I'm Carlee."

"Okay," I said, speeding through a red light.

"What is your daughter's name?" she asked.

"Norah Black," I replied.

"Middle initial?"

"J," I replied, turning left onto the main road outside the reservation.

"Date of birth?"

"April 17, 2007," I answered.

"Is she conscious?" Carlee the receptionist asked.

"No," I answered. I caught Bella's eye in the rearview mirror. She looked absolutely shocked and as white as... I shook my head and focused on Carlee the receptionist's next question.

"Is she breathing?" Carlee the receptionist asked, continuing her way down the list of questions.

"Yes," I replied. "She also has a pulse."

"Okay," she replied. "When you pull into the hospital, turn into the emergency center. Bring her in and I'll have a unit waiting right there to rush her into the proper treatment center. Try not to jostle her around too much."

"Okay," I replied, hanging up. I threw Sue's phone back to her.

It took us about five more minutes to get to the hospital. I tried to pick Norah up from the backseat, but Bella stopped me.

"I've got her!" she snapped. I was smart enough to not argue.

Bella picked her up and we headed toward the emergency room doors. The unit was waiting for us when we walked in. Bella sat her in the huge bed and we followed the unit toward the ER.

"Hi," a woman with long red hair said, extending a hand to each of us. "I'm Leanne. I'll be registering your daughter here today," she said brightly. "Can you tell me what's happened?"

I repeated the story that I had told Carlee the receptionist. Leanne kept her cool and helped reassure Bella.

"I'm going to call Charlie," Sue said, looking shaken. I simply nodded. "Don't tell Billy," I warned her. "I don't want him panicking. It's not good for his heart to know things when we're not sure what's going on."

Soon afterward, I felt the familiar stench of vampire in the vicinity. Dr. Fang came down the hallway hurriedly, looking rather anxious.

"What happened?" he asked Bella, his eyes wide with shock.

"Sue ran her over with her Suburban," Bella spat.

"Bells," I admonished her. "That's not exactly what happened."

"I hit her with my car. She was out in the middle of the road and I wasn't paying attention," Sue interjected.

"Bella and I were arguing and didn't realize that she'd gone outside," I added. I felt horrible. Norah was probably headed to Sam and Emily's house to go see Levi. Her tiny voice adamantly insisting 'Go see We-by' echoed painfully in my thoughts.

Dr. Fang leaned over her, pressing on her left leg here and there. He frowned.

"Leanne, I want an X-ray on that leg," he ordered. The redheaded nurse nodded and wrote something down on a clipboard. "I also want a CAT scan on her head and an X-ray on her arm."

"What's wrong with her?" Bella asked hysterically.

"Bella, Jacob, let's go into the hallway," he said. He led us outside, away from Sue, and sat us down in two chairs outside the doorway.

"The biggest indicator of possibly head trauma and brain injury is that fact that she's not waking up. I'm going to have a CAT scan run on her, to check for brain swelling. I've already ordered two x-rays because I think both her arm and her leg might be broken. Do you have any idea how fast Sue was going when she struck Norah?"

"I have no idea," Bella replied. "You might ask her."

"She swerved, so I highly doubt she struck her at full force," I replied. "The speed limit outside the house is 15 miles per hour."

"Okay," Dr. Fang said, nodding. He walked back into Norah's emergency room and came back out, pushing her bed down the hall to radiology.

"Bella?" a voice called from down the hall.

Edward Cullen was walking down the hallway... well, more like strutting down the hallway. He had a cocky look on his face that I just wanted to reach over and wipe off.

"Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down and looking up at her.

"No," Bella sniffed.

Edward wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. I couldn't help but growl at him.

"She'll be fine," he insisted.

"Did Alice see what happened?" Bella asked him.

"No," the bloodsucker responded. "But Carlisle called Alice and told her what was going on... that Norah had been hurt and was in the hospital. She's outside, parking the Porsche. She should be up here in a second."

"I think this is a family affair," I said stiffly. "Why are you here?"

"Alice and I care a great deal about Norah," Edward replied. "Bella also told us that she was expecting another baby. We were both worried about Bella, so we came up here."

"I'm fine," Bella insisted. "So is the baby."

I wanted to rip Edward Cullen from limb to limb, to get him away from my wife. But I didn't think a hospital would be the proper place to phase. Edward looked up at me with disapproval, reading my thoughts. _Stupid motherfucker._

"That's good," Edward replied. "I was so worried about the you," he murmured to Bella.

"I'm sure you were," I snapped.

"Alice needs help downstairs," Edward said suddenly. He kissed Bella on the top of her head once more. "I'll be back up here with her in a few minutes." And with that, he trotted back downstairs. I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.

Bella turned to face me.

"You're jealous," she said, a small smile on her face.

"I'd be lying if I wasn't," I replied truthfully. "He can kiss you on the top of the head, but I haven't kissed you in months, it seems."

"It hasn't been months," Bella disagreed.

I sighed.

"I'm really worried about her," she moaned. "Possible brain injury? Brain swelling? Broken bones?"

"I know," I said, looking down at my feet. I took her sighed and leaned into me.

"I feel guilty," she said. "I should have been paying attention to her, instead of trying to win an argument with you. I guess this just places things in perspective."

"Perhaps," I said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her.

"Part of me still wants to be mad at you, I won't lie. But the other part of me just wants to forgive you and move on and focus on Norah getting better. She needs both of us, united, not arguing and trying to one-up each other."

"I wasn't trying to one-up you. In all actuality, I was just trying to get you to forgive me for being a jerk. But I was too stubborn and cowardly to ask for forgiveness the proper way. I'm so sorry, Bells. You know I love you more than anyone on this planet. I don't think I could live without you."

Bella smiled and leaned into me.

"So you think it's been months," she said, smiling. She leaned in and kissed me softly. "I haven't forgotten," she sighed. "I probably never will. But I already _have _forgiven you. That's what husbands and wives do, right?"

"Bella!" a shrill voice echoed down the hallway. Damn Alice for being so chipper. I didn't have the chance to answer Bella's question.

"Alice," Bella said, grinning.

Edward was glaring at me. He was jealous. It was written all over his face.

"Maybe I am," he said, his voice too high for human voices to hear. Alice glared at him.

"Edward told me what Carlisle had told you guys. "I'm sure she'll be just fine."

"I really hope so," I said. "It hurts to see her in there, looking so small in that big bed..." I trailed off, looking down the hall to see Norah's bed being pushed back down the hallway by the same redheaded nurse.

"I just took a look at her CAT scan," Dr. Fang said, showing us the scan of Norah's head. "There's a little bit of swelling at the back of her head. It looks like she hit that pavement pretty hard. However, her brain is pressing against her skull in a matter that is concerning to me. We're going to have to remove a small bit of her skull, so her brain has room to swell. When the swelling goes back down, she'll be fine."

"You're going to remove part of her SKULL?" Bella gasped.

"It's fairly routine for some head injuries," Dr. Fang said. I simply gaped at him in shock. WHAT. THE. HELL.

"I've just had Leanne go upstairs to get Norah's room ready in the pediatric wing. She'll be here until after the surgery and until she wakes up and we're sure that she's completely okay. But I'm almost positive that she'll make a full recovery."

"What do you mean, _almost_ positive?" Bella asked, looking stricken.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Bella. There's a small risk that she won't wake up. But there's overwhelming evidence that she will. Her pulse is steady, she's breathing on her own... everything seems to point that she will make a full recovery. But the longer that she's out, the higher the risk that there could be brain damage. I'm not quite sure exactly how hard she hit the pavement."

Bella was shaking.

"Bells, honey, sit down," I said, leading her over to a chair. "It's not good for the baby for you to get so upset. You should call Emily. She doesn't know what's going on. I'm sure she can make you feel a lot better... calm you down, distract you."

"I don't want to be distracted!" Bella exclaimed. "I just want my baby to get better!"

"I know," I said, nodding. "And so do I. And she will. I just don't know how else to calm you back down and you being upset isn't making things easier on Norah or the baby or me. Now, please, Bells. Just call Emily, okay?"

"Okay," Bella said, sighing. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Emily's number and put the phone to her ear. "It's ringing," she replied.

"We're going to go ahead and take her to surgery in a few minutes," Dr. Fang said. "I'll be doing the surgery personally, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I have more experience than anyone else in this hospital," he insisted.

Although I knew he was right, the fear of having my daughter's head cracked open seemed almost rational. I wanted her to be fine. I wanted her to be okay. And most of all, I wanted to kill Edward Cullen for kissing my wife's head and confusing her. The last thing I needed to top this day off was Bella to choose Edward Cullen over me again.

But I guess that was a rather irrational fear. I knew Bella loved me. We had a beautiful little girl together and we were expecting another baby. Things would be okay. They really would. I just had to keep my head on straight and not cause any more drama.

But Norah would be okay. She really would. I had nothing to worry about. Norah would be just fine and then Bella and I would be there as she woke up. Everything would be absolutely wonderful. I just had to keep thinking that.

* * *

_Okay, we're taking a slight detour. Irina isn't here yet! But don't get too comfortable! She's not too far off! *wink, wink*  
__But anyways, this chapter came a little out of nowhere, but it was needed, I think. :) Hopefully you guys can see why.  
__Thanks for reading!  
__Please review!  
x__oxo_


	13. Please, Anything But This

Chapter 13 -- Please, Anything But This

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Jacob or Bella. I do not own anyone else you recognize. I do own the character of Norah Black. :D

* * *

Norah's surgery went off without a hitch about an hour later. Bella and I sat in the waiting room, accompanied by Esme, Alice, and Dumbass. Okay, so I knew his real name, but I didn't feel like he deserved to have it used in civil conversation. I didn't say a single word to him.

"So, another baby?" Esme asked, breaking the silence for the first time since Norah had gone into surgery. "Bella told us. You must be so excited, Jacob."

I nodded. "Of course. We both really wanted another one," I said, trying to keep the smugness out of my voice.

"How far along are you?" she asked Bella.

"Fourteen weeks," Bella said, nodding. We find out the sex of the baby sometime in late January or early February."

Esme nodded. "That's great. You don't want it to be a surprise this time?" she asked.

"Nah," Bella said. "Surprises are overrated. Jake wants a boy, though."

"I could really care less," I said.

"You seem excited," Edward said scathingly.

"Edward!" Alice admonished him.

"I could care less as long as he or she is happy and healthy," I corrected myself. "I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to have healthy children and a healthy wife," I said, glaring at Edward.

Bella smiled. "Aw, Jake," she said, blushing.

"Well, it's true," I said. From the corner of my eye, I could tell that Edward's arms were crossed and the look on his face was anything but warm.

"Bella, would you mind if I talked to Jacob alone?" he asked her.

I was surprised. What did the bloodsucker want with me? I certainly didn't want anything to do with him.

"Sure. I guess," Bella said. "As long as you bring him back in one piece," she said warily.

"Don't worry. I will," Edward replied. His comment reminded me vaguely of his comment during Norah's birth and I sighed, hoping he wasn't about to make an ass of himself again. He got up and headed toward the hallway outside of the waiting room. I sighed before getting up and half-heartedly following him.

"What?" I asked, once we got out into the hallway.

"Do you remember that night out in the tent when I told you that I'd always be waiting in the wings, waiting for the moment when you would leave Bella because you wouldn't be able to help it?" he asked suddenly.

My stomach began to churn.

"Yes," I said icily.

"You didn't imprint on Leah," he said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, a fact.

"I didn't," I agreed.

"So why in the hell did you think it was okay for you to sleep with her?" Edward growled. "Like it or not, I still care about Bella and I'm going to be a part of her life for as long as she lives."

"I was a moron. But Bella forgave me, so it's really none of your business." Stupid bloodsucker!

"What hurts Bella is definitely my business. The only reason why you're still standing here is because I know that killing you would hurt both Bella and Norah. So I'm restraining myself."

"Congratulations," I muttered.

"But you're really pushing that restraint," Edward growled, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Yes, I was an idiot. But how the hell does that concern you? Bella may have told you, but she didn't ask you to butt into our private lives. We're working this out on our own and we CERTAINLY don't need an undead icebox interrupting the progress we've made for our family."

"Well maybe if you can't control the urge to screw every female who throws themselves at you then that wouldn't be necessary!" Edward hissed.

I was shaking. He was lying. He knew it. I could see the echo of victory shining in his hard, cold amber eyes. I forced myself back under control. I would not let him win. I would not let him win. I would not let him win.

"Sure you won't," Edward taunted. "Jacob Black, always has to win. Always the competitive one."

My frustration was becoming nearly unbearable.

"Get out of my head," I said quietly, menacingly.

"Jake? Edward?" Bella asked, frowning. She stepped into the hallway, taking in the scene before her. Edward had stepped ever so closely to me; he was barely a step and a half away. The stench was nearly unbearable.

"You two need to stop fighting," Bella said. I couldn't help but notice that she looked at Edward as she said it. "Norah is in surgery! Can you two please put aside your differences for the time being?" she groaned.

"Fine," Edward said, spinning on his heel and stalking back toward the waiting room. He always had to make it look like my fault, didn't he?

Norah's surgery went fairly well. Dr. Fang came out of the surgical room and told us that the operation had been fairly successful and that they were just waiting on her to wake up. Bella insisted that we be in the room when she opened her eyes. She needed to see Norah open her eyes in order to believe that everything was really going to be okay.

About fifteen minutes after Norah was wheeled out of the OR and into her new room (complete with bandage on her head, a cast on her left arm, and her left leg lifted up in triage), Bella and I sat on either side of her bed. Bella hadn't wanted Edward or Alice or any of the other Cullens in the room with us. That made me feel slightly better. She took Norah's impossibly tiny, fragile hand in her own and brushed her thumb over the top of her hand.

"Norie? Mommy and Daddy are here. Can you wake up for us and say hello?" she crooned. "Your baby brother or sister is here, too," she added as an afterthought, stroking her stomach haphazardly.

Even though she was distressed and worried, I couldn't help but notice how strong and caring Bella was. How could I have ever been stupid enough to risk losing her? Stupid, stupid me. I swore that I would never drink again. Who knows? Leah could have even put something a bit stronger in my drink. Maybe that's why I barely remembered the events of that night. I didn't even remember actually having sex with her. But Leah wouldn't lie about something like that. That's not the kind of girl she was. She was hurt. She was bitter. And maybe, someday, I would be able to forgive her for what she had done. But not now. It was too soon. I was surprised that Bella was able to forgive me for what I had done. She was much stronger than what anyone had given her credit for.

"Bella?" I murmured. Her eyes were fixed on Norah, willing her to wake up.

"What?" she asked, looking up at me for a split second before flashing her eyes back down to Norah's face.

"I love you," I said helplessly. "I love you more than you can even imagine. You're my everything."

Bella smiled, one side of her mouth curling up in an infectious grin that just barely reached her eyes.

"I love you, too," she said, taking her free hand and holding mine. Our hands rested on Norah's bed.

"I know that better than you do," I said. "You're still mad at me."

"Yes," Bella said, sighing. "But it's not anger as much as disappointment. And a little bit of fear. I can't just overlook that this happened, either. You've acted like it's no big deal. But it is. I don't know if I can trust you."

"It's not like I'm ever going to do it again. I've completely sworn off alcohol. I'll never go near the damn poison ever again," I said solemnly. "Let me make it up to you," I murmured.

"I'm not saying that you haven't learned your lesson. I'm just worried about Leah coming back. An Alpha command can't keep her away if she winds up pregnant, can it? I don't see how you could POSSIBLY make it up to me."

"No," I admitted. "But that's not going to happen. I talked to Billy about it. It took us three months to conceive this baby. What are the chances that Leah's going to get pregnant after one time?"

"Not small enough for me," Bella said disgruntledly.

"I know," I sighed. "But no matter what happens, I won't leave you, Bella. Ever. Even if that were to happen, Norah and this baby are my priority. I love you. I'm in love with you and I always have been. Leah doesn't have the same pull on my heart as you do."

Bella sighed.

"Bells..." I murmured, leaning over Norah to cup Bella's chin.

"I know, I know," Bella sighed. "I'm giving you another chance, Jake. But this is it. This is your last chance, okay?"

"I nodded. And I'd be a moron to screw it up again."

"Precisely," she replied. Her gaze slowly traveled back to Norah.

"Come on, Norie," I said, using the dreadful nickname I hated.

I studied Norah's face. I thought I saw the flutter of an eyelash. I pressed my hand to her cheek and Norah mumbled something.

"Norah?" Bella asked, leaning in. "Baby?"

"Da..." Norah murmured. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at me. "D-Daddy? Norie head hurt?" she whispered.

"Let me go get Dr. F-- I mean, Carlisle," I said hurriedly. I ran out into the hallway and found Carlisle heading toward the room.

"She's awake!" I exclaimed, pulling Dr. Fang into a tight hug. He looked at me in surprise. I guess I was hugging vamps now.

"That's great, Jacob," he said, nodding. I quickly let him go.

"You need to check on her," I said. "Make sure she's really okay. I don't want to get Bella's hopes up in case something's still not right."

Dr. Fang nodded before heading into the room. I followed him.

"Hello, Norah," he greeted her, giving his clipboard a once over. She gave him a half-hearted smile. "How do you feel?"

"Norie head hurt..." she said, her lips puckering into a pout.

"Yeah," Carlisle said, nodding. "Your head is going to hurt a little. But I'm going to give you some medicine and then it'll be all better, okay?"

"It'll be all better soon," Bella repeated. "And then we can go home and you can sleep with Mommy tonight," she assured Norah.

"Nuh uh!" Norah murmured, moving like she was going to smack Bella's arm. "Norie BIG girl!" she insisted weakly.

I couldn't help but smile. Stubborn child.

"She seems kinda vibrant. We'll keep her in for at least two days. And then she can go home. But she needs to stay calm, not too active."

"Keeping her away from Levi is going to be hard to do," I commented. "She's smitten."

Dr. Fang laughed. "Well, he's probably the only child on the reservation that's close to her age."

"True," Bella replied. "But maybe someday, it could be something more."

"I thought you said that we couldn't do any matchmaking?" I teased her. "At least that's what you told Billy."

Bella grinned. "Okay..." she conceded. "I just wouldn't mind having Levi as a son-in-law someday. He's a good kid, grounded, with good parents. He'd be good for her."

"Perhaps. But then again, I bet Norah'd be too much for him. Levi's never had surgery to correct brain swelling."

Bella smiled painstakingly.

"Yeah," she said. She seemed more light-hearted than she had the past few days. I was surprised. We had seemed to bond over this experience, although I didn't want to sacrifice my daughter's health for any cost. This "bonding" had come at a high price.

"Have you seen Sue?" I asked her.

"No," she said. "Not since before Norah went into surgery."

"I'm sure she feels awful," I said. "The look on her face when it happened..."

"I don't want to talk about it," Bella said suddenly.

"Did she leave?" I pressed.

"Ask Carlisle," Bella said pointedly. "Where is he?" she continued, looking around.

"Somewhere..." I trailed off.

"Well obviously he's somewhere, Bright One," Bella snapped.

"Mommy..." Norah chided her, putting her good hand on her hip. She surprised me with her attitude.

Dr. Fang walked back into the room, a clipboard in his hand. He worked over Norah, taking her temperature, checking her pulse, listening to her heartbeat, using his shiny light thing to check her vision and pupils... He continued to tut to himself each time he looked at something new.

"What's with the 'mhmn hmn's' and 'ah's'?" I eventually asked in frustration.

"Just talking to myself," he replied. "Everything looks good. Like I said, we'll probably keep her here for a few days and then she can go home, provided she gets a lot of rest. Things could have been a lot worse, as I'm sure you know."

"Yeah," Bella said.

"But I'd be a little easier on your step-mother. I'm sure she really didn't mean to hit Norah. She told me how awful she felt about it all. She went home around an hour and a half ago," he said, looking up at the clock above Norah's bed. "I'm sure she's also told Charlie about what's happened. He'll probably be here pretty soon."

"Great," Bella sighed.

"Edward and Alice and Esme are still waiting outside. If you want, they can come see her... whenever you're ready."

"Okay," Bella replied.

I looked over at her. She seemed to be a little more at ease. That was good.

I was thankful that Norah seemed to be okay. Christmas was right around the corner. I only hoped that Norah would be back home before Christmas. No kid would want to spend Christmas in the hospital, especially a kid as rambunctious as Norah. We had promised her that she and Levi could spend Christmas together at Billy's Christmas party. Charlie and Sue would be coming down to the rez and it was set to be a family event. Hopefully, things would all be calmed down before then. Hopefully, Bella and I would have smoothed things over somewhat before then. I didn't expect her to forgive me right away for what I had done, but I wanted to be on some sort of even ground with her. I never expected that marriage would be easy.

My words from so long ago came back to me, reverberating in a strange echo.

"I'm exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us — comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would have taken… If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters and no magic…"

She had chosen me. It wasn't exactly effortless; no relationship was completely effortless 100% of the time. But it would be okay again. Eventually. It had to be.

* * *

_I actually just wrote this chapter. :D I've been working a ton, but it's Christmas Break at school, so I've got a bit more time (provided I'm actually up and going early in the morning. LOL.)  
Please don't kill me. Things will be okay.  
Thanks for reading!!  
And thanks for getting me to 400 reviews for this story! Squeee!!!  
Love, love, love.  
Please review!  
xoxo_


	14. She Won't Be Home for Christmas

Chapter 14 -- She Won't Be Home for Christmas

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. Just everything that you don't recognize and all original content.

* * *

Our first night at the hospital with Norah was the hardest. I had called Billy and given him an update on Norah's condition. Upon receiving the news, he had been reasonably shocked and worried. Sam and Emily promised to keep an eye on him for us. I had assured him that Norah was completely conscious and alert, but he still wanted to come up to the hospital. I told him that he wouldn't really be doing much good, so he finally sighed and gave in.

Two cots were situated in the corner of the room and Bella and I got as comfortable as possible.

"Bella, the recliner over there might be a little more comfortable," I said hesitantly.

"No," Bella said, shaking her head. "It's too far away from her."

"She's fine," I said soothingly.

"So?" Bella asked, her hand on her hip. "I don't care. She's in the hospital, so I'm going to watch her like a hawk."

"Okay," I said, sitting down on the cot closer to the window. I knew that there was no use fighting with her. I dimmed the lights and Bella curled up in the fetal position on her cot. Before I knew it, both she and Norah were fast asleep. I walked over to my cot and curled up awkwardly, my feet dangling off the edge of the too-small hospital cot.

I woke up suddenly with a crick in my neck. The whir of the hospital machines was strangely soothing. I looked up at the clock on the other side of Bella's sleeping form. 3:36 am. Bella had left her mp3 player on. I could hear the music playing softly.

_Untouchable, burning brighter than the sun  
And when you're close I feel like coming undone_

In the middle of the night  
When I'm in this dream  
It's like a million little stars  
Spelling out your name  
You gotta come on, come on  
Say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on, oh oh

Oh, Oh, In the middle of the night  
We could form this dream  
I wanna feel you by my side  
Standing next to me  
You gotta come on, come on  
Say that we'll be together  
Come on, come on  
Little taste of Heaven...

I sighed. Bella...

Crazy, ridiculous, framatic, endearing, _beautiful_ Bella...

* * *

Dr. Fang released Norah from the hospital four days later, the day before Christmas Eve. Bella called Charlie and Sue to let them know. Sue was especially happy about it. Although Bella still seemed sort of reserved when Sue was mentioned during the phone call, she seemed to take it in stride.

It seemed that Norah would make a full recovery, although she still needed to stop by the Cullens to see the doctor and make sure everything was healing smoothly. I was definitely counting my blessings. I also was aware that the mishap with Norah and Sue's Suburban had definitely helped to curb much of Bella's anger toward me. At least she was willing to give me a second chance. It was much more than I deserved at any rate.

Sam, Emily, Levi, and Billy were waiting for us as we pulled into the driveway. Norah was bandaged up pretty good, a cast on both her arm and leg. The doctor had also said that she had bruised a few ribs. I carried her into the living room and laid her down on the couch. She didn't get up.

"She's probably pretty sore, I'd imagine," Billy said, looking at Bella's worried expression.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. She sat Levi down and he barreled toward Norah.

"Levi!" Sam admonished his son.

"Norie all better?" he asked, softly patting her on top of her head.

"Stop dat, We-by," Norah groaned.

"Norie home?" Levi asked, his eyes wide.

Norah tried to wave him away, clunking him in the head with her cast.

"Ouch, Norie! You hurt me!" Levi said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Norah simply gave him a one-armed shrug. I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's the first time she hasn't begged for Levi to be around," Bella laughed.

"True," I agreed.

"I talked to Sue yesterday," Sam said, looking over at me.

"Yeah?" I asked. "Is she okay? She should have come with Charlie to see Norah the other day. We're not mad at her or anything..."

"She's busy taking care of Leah," Sam said, sighing. "David was involved in a fatal car accident Thursday night."

"David?" I asked blankly.

"That Makah guy she was dating. She had spent some time out on the Makah reservation, but since David died, there was no one to fight for her to stay there. She's staying with Charlie and Sue in Forks."

I felt my jaw drop and I met Bella's gaze.

"Wow," I said speechlessly.

"She's really got nowhere else to go. Sue is trying to find her an apartment in Forks somewhere and she's trying to find work, but she hasn't heard from anyone yet," Sam said, looking down at the floor. "She's still your pack sister, regardless of what went down between you, Jacob," he continued, looking at me. "Are you sure you can't retract your command?"

"Not. Happening." Bella's tone of voice was icy and cold. "I know she's your cousin, Emily, but what Leah did was uncalled for."

"It takes two to make a choice like that, Bella," Emily said softly. "Jacob was just as responsible as Leah was."

"Yeah, but Jacob didn't get Leah wasted!" Bella exclaimed. "It was the other way around!"

"True," Emily said. "I just don't want to see something happen to Leah, Bella. She's family. Sure, she's made some really stupid decisions, but I do still care about what happens to her."

Bella sighed. "I don't guess I can argue with that part," she said. "But having her living in our backyard was hell."

"So you'd rather her live with your dad?" Sam asked slowly.

"No," Bella admitted. "I've only just agreed that Jacob and I would work on our relationship and our marriage. I'm not ready to face Leah and I don't know if I ever will be."

"I'm sorry for what Leah did," Emily said, sighing. "But you know how much David meant to her. He helped her get back on her feet. They were together for two years."

"So? Right now, I wish Leah was in that car with him!" Bella spat.

I could see the tears well up in Emily's eyes. She bit her bottom lip and before I had any clue about what was wrong, she was out the front door.

"Emily!" Bella called.

"Bella, you shouldn't have said that," Sam sighed. "Leah _is _her cousin. And regardless of everything that's happened, she still loves her."

Bella groaned.

"Sam, I can't let Leah back on the reservation. It's not going to happen. I'm sorry," I said, sighing.

"I respect your decision," Sam replied. "I don't have to agree with it or think it's right, but I won't go against it."

"Thank you," I said, looking down at my feet.

"Come on, little one," Sam called to his son. Levi tore his gaze away from Norah, who was now sleeping on the couch and looked back up at his father.

"I don't wanna go, Daddy!" he pouted.

"Come on, son," Sam said sternly.

Levi got up from his watchful vigil by Norah's side and trudged over to Sam. Sam picked him up and the pair headed back out the front door.

I looked back at Bella.

"I didn't mean to upset Emily," Bella sighed. "I'm just... I don't know. I don't want Leah back here, Jake. I'm not ready for her to be back here."

"I know," I said. "And I need to start putting you first. That's what I'm doing here." I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

Bella nodded. "Okay," she replied. She lifted her chin up slightly and I kissed her softly on the lips. I pulled back in surprise when she didn't pull away.

"What?" Bella asked, looking at me carefully.

"I just miss that, that's all," I replied. "I didn't know if I was ever going to get to do that again."

"Don't think like that," she sighed. "I don't know what I would do without you. I'd be lost, that's for sure."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. "I love you, Bella," I replied, leaning in to kiss her again.

She responded by kissing me even more passionately, wrapping her arms around my neck. I stepped forward, pressing her against the wall next to the Christmas tree. She tilted her head up, opening her eyes.

"Mistletoe," she gasped as I nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah," I said, not even bothering to look up at it.

"Bedroom?" she asked, tilting her head to allow me further access to her neck.

"No," I murmured.

"What?" she asked, pausing and looking up at me with confusion.

"No," I replied. "Not yet."

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

"You're upset. You're thinking about what Sam and Emily said. I don't want you to think you have to prove anything... I don't want to do anything in response to what other people are saying and doing... I want to wait until we're ready to take that step again."

"I'm ready," Bella said. "Jacob..."

"You don't want to do this because of Leah?" I asked, confused.

"What are you talking about? She's gone and she's not coming back. Why would I be worried about her?" Bella asked, bemused.

"Never mind," I said, kissing her again. I picked her up and we headed toward the bedroom.

* * *

I held Bella in my arms that night, absolutely sated. I looked down at her and the smile on her face was absolutely mesmerizing.

"What?" I asked her.

"That was amazing," she said, lying her head on my chest.

"It was," I agreed, kissing her on top of her forehead.

"You know, I missed this," Bella said, looking up at me. "I wasn't sure I was going to be able to have this again... with you."

"I'm sorry I was such a fool, honey," I said, willing her to understand how much I meant it.

"I know," Bella replied. "And you won't do it again."

"No," I said, remorsefully.

"Because if you do, hell will have completely fury with your backside," she said, looking at me seriously.

"With my... backside?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, sir," she grinned suddenly.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Bella stopped midlaugh.

"What?" I asked her nervously.

"Jake, I think..." she paused, one hand flying down to the slight roundness of her belly.

"What?" I repeated.

"It... moved," she replied, a stunned expression on her face.

"The baby?" I asked.

"I felt it move. I'm pretty sure," she said.

"Can I feel it?" I asked.

"You won't be able to yet," she replied. "It was just a flicker..." she trailed off. She smiled, burying her face in my chest.

I couldn't help but grin.

"It just feels... real, all of a sudden," she said, barely turning her head to the side. "We're going to have another baby."

"We are," I replied. "Guess we better get our act together."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I mean, it's so silly. I knew this. My head had wrapped around it... or so I thought..."

"But this time, I'm going to be around, Bella," I promised her. "I want to be there for it all this time... I want to see it all, be there for all the big moments... like this."

"I know," Bella said, nodding. "This won't be like last time. You'll be involved. You'll have a say."

I smiled, resting one hand on her belly.

"I can't wait," I told her. "I wanted this so bad."

"I know," she replied. "Seems silly to think I was apprehensive about it at first. I might even want a few more after this," she said, grinning.

"A few more?" I gaped. "Maybe one more," I said. "I don't think I want a whole baseball team."

"Billy would like that," Bella laughed.

"Yeah, probably," I said, grinning. My eyelids suddenly felt rather heavy.

"Mommy..." a small voice called from the living room. Bella sighed.

"Jake, get some sleep. I'll take care of her," she murmured. She got up from the bed and grabbed her robe from the back of the bedroom door. I watched her put it on.

"Jacob Black! Are you watching me get dressed?" she teased.

"Maybe," I yawned.

She simply shook her head, smiling. Things seemed to be getting a little better... to say the least.

* * *

_I know this chapter was a little late, but I've worked like 60 hours at work the last six days or so and I'm exhausted. I just haven't had time to write. When I haven't been working, I've been sleeping. However, I have the next three days off. I may have another chapter up before Christmas, but I won't make any promises. :)_

_Thanks for reading!  
Please review!  
And have a very merry Christmas!  
xoxo_


	15. Scared, Not Bitter

Chapter 15 -- Scared, Not Bitter

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Sue, Seth, and Leah Clearwater. I do not own Charlie and Bella Swan. And I do not own Jacob Black. So get off of my back. It's Christmas Eve, folks!

* * *

The morning after I arrived at Mom and Charlie's, I was apprehensive, to say the least. Seth had met me in the front yard. He had been on his way to La Push. He paused as I stopped in the middle of the road outside the house.

"Leah?" Seth asked, blinking in shock.

"Yeah," I murmured, looking up toward the house for any sign of Mom. I needed her.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked, frowning. "You look like you've been crying."

"David," I said, my voice breaking. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Seth seemed confused. He nodded toward Charlie's cruiser in the driveway and sat down on the back bumper. I sat down next to him.

"Car accident," I said hollowly. "His parents decided that I was bad news and that there was no reason for me to remain in their reservation. The funeral was over a week ago, but I wasn't allowed to come."

Seth's eyes bugged out.

"That's bullcrap," he spat.

"I know," I sighed. "I mean, we had our issues, but after I went back, I thought that there could be a chance for us. I really cared about him. I... I still do," I said helplessly.

"So were the two of you back together?" Seth asked.

I nodded. We had even discussed marriage. Two days prior, I had found out that I was pregnant. I had every intention of passing this baby off as David's. In truth, I only had a slight idea whose baby it was. So when I had received that phone call from his hysterical sister, I had been completely floored. I couldn't go home.. I had nowhere to go. The only place left for me to go was back to Forks, back to Mom and Charlie's. I was twenty-one years old and headed back to my mommy. Just my luck.

But honestly, I wasn't bitter anymore. David's death and this pregnancy had shaken every last bitter nerve out of me. What was bitterness going to do? What was hating everyone who had ever wronged me going to do to solve anything? Absolutely nothing but cause me even more pain. Sure, I was scared. Being a single mom was going to be rough, to say the least. But I knew one thing. I would pass this baby off as David's to avoid hurting Jacob. I knew he didn't love me and there was no point hurting two innocent children and tearing apart a family. Jacob had been wasted. So had I. I had been hurt and lashed out at the wrong person.

"Yes," I said, finally answering Seth. "I'm sorry for running off like that."

"Leah, you were gone for nearly two months. No one had heard from you or anything. Embry said that Sam was about to start looking for you."

Sam. That was one person I hadn't thought of in a while. Well, I was sure that he and Emily were doing quite well. Strange. The feelings I had for him had died down considerably. Sure, I still cared about him, but not like I had before all of this had happened...

"That wouldn't have been necessary," I said. "I'm fine."

What a lie. I wasn't fine. Not in the least. I was the least bit fine. Why was I such a liar? How come I couldn't just come right out and say that I was scared? Well, then Seth would want to know why and there was no way that I was going to come right on and out and tell him exactly why. No way in hell.

"Leah?" a voice called from the door. It was Mom and the look on her face was pure shock.

"Mom," I murmured, getting up from the bumper of Charlie's cruiser and heading up to the front door.

"La Push's infamous reject," Charlie joked. Mom just turned and shot him a death glare. "Sorry, sorry," he cringed. "Pasta?" he asked, handing me a plate.

"You didn't make it did you?" I asked, half smiling.

"Of course not. I can't cook to save my life. If it hadn't been for Bella..." he broke off awkwardly.

Bella. I wondered how she would take me staying in her dad's house. I felt like I was intruding.

"Have a seat, dear," Mom said. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"The Makah reservation," I answered. "I called David and we were going to try to work things back out. Seems that his parents didn't want him to marry a Quileute. But since I'm no longer Quileute and all ties have been broken..." I broke off, unable to go on. The break in our relationship had been hell. But before I had gotten to the reservation, I had been under the impression that he had missed me, too. At least that's what he had said. I'll always remember you, Leah, he had said. Yeah right. The look of complete shock and horror on his face pretty much destroyed every last hope I'd had. Two years had gone up in smoke. I knew that after the first time we'd had sex. It wasn't even making love. It was just... empty motions and empty words. I'd stayed there for two weeks simply because I'd had nowhere else to go. His sister, Mindy, had tried to be nice to me... one of the only kind faces I'd met. But when David had sped off in the middle of the night to "clear his head," I had no clue that he'd never come back. He was gone and I hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye. Strangely, I didn't think David even loved me as much as I was desperately holding on to him in the first place.

"Oh. Did you see David?" she asked kindly. I knew Mom meant well, but everything just crashed down into my lap.

"Mommy, he's gone..." I mumbled, collapsing into her lap. The tears were hot and salty going down my cheeks.

"Oh, honey," she murmured, patting me on the back.

I didn't know what else to say or what else to do. I just sat there and cried and cried. I knew Seth had bolted as soon as he realized that I was crying. I heard the front door slam. Charlie had gone back into the kitchen and Mom and I just sat there. Strangely, as the tears fell, I realized that I wasn't even bitter anymore. I didn't hate Emily for Sam imprinting on her. I didn't hate Jacob for loving Bella. I didn't even hate Bella for insisting I leave... I knew that she had every right to be mad at me. Unfortunately, I knew that there was no place for me back at La Push. Bella would see to that. And I understood. I had made a mistake. A mistake that included falling for the wrong guy and sleeping with a married man. I knew it was wrong and I was remorseful. But being remorseful wouldn't be enough for me to go back home. There would be no way in hell that Bella would let me go back home. And I knew she had every right not to.

But I also knew that eventually I would have to deal with this baby's paternity. I knew that as soon as I came clean and said that I was pregnant, that everyone would want to know who the father was. I would say it was David's, but could I really deny Jacob the opportunity to know his child (if it was, in fact, his)? Could I raise a child solely on my own? I knew one thing. There would be no room for the person I had been, the person I was trying to rid myself of. There would be no room for the bitter, angry Leah who was still head over heels in love with Sam Uley. There would be no room for the bitter Leah who had fallen in love with Jacob Black either. There would only be room for the Leah Clearwater who would be the mother of a child. And as my own mother comforted me, I knew that I wanted to be just like her. I would be like my mom. My child would look up to me and be grateful to have me as a mother. I would be such a great mother that my child wouldn't miss his or her father at all.

I finally sat up and wiped away the last of my tears. I couldn't cry anymore. I was completely cried out.

"Are you okay?" Mom asked at last.

"Not really," I said honestly. "I won't be for a while."

"I know," she replied.

But in all honesty, she didn't know. Not entirely. I couldn't share that with her yet. But she would know. At the right time. The right time, however, definitely was not now.

"Are you sure you can't go back to La Push?" she asked me.

I stifled a sarcastic laugh. "Mom, the last place anyone wants me is La Push. Do you think you could talk to Jacob and Bella? Since you're about to become her step-mom?" I asked.

"I doubt you're the last person Bella wants to see. That would probably be me right about now," Mom sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"I accidentally hit Norah with my SUV," she admitted.

"You... what?!" I exclaimed in shock. Surely Mom hadn't killed Jacob's daughter... surely not...

"She's fine now. Just a broken arm and leg. She had surgery on her head, too. I guess that does sound pretty bad," she sighed. "Charlie went to go see her at the hospital, right before she got out, but he hasn't been back over there since and I'm afraid to show my face in La Push right now."

"You didn't mean to do it," I sighed. Bella could be so judgemental... one of reasons I couldn't stand her. But then again, Jacob loved her for some reason, even though I couldn't see it myself. I guess she was a good mom to the kid though.

"No, I didn't," Mom sighed. "Charlie knows that. And I guess that's all that matters. Bella will come around eventually. He said that Jacob didn't hold anything against me, at least."

"Well, Jacob's not like that," I agreed.

"True," she sighed.

"We're one hell of a pair," I said, shaking my head. "I get kicked off the reservation and you run people over..."

"Leah," Mom said condescendingly.

"Well, it's true," I said, shrugging. "Although, my offense was infinitely worse than yours in the eyes of Bella Swan."

"What's that?" Charlie asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"Nothing," I replied. "Is there any more of that pasta?" I asked. "It _did_ look pretty good."

"That's because your mother made it," Charlie said, winking. "Anything I cook resembles ash and charcoal."

The three of us started laughing. I just couldn't help it.

* * *

Later that evening, as I was getting the spare bedroom ready to sleep in, Charlie gave a slight knock on the door.

"Leah?" he called. "There's someone here to see you."

_Jacob, _I thought. I shook my head. Of course it wouldn't be Jacob.

I headed downstairs and froze at the end of the stairwell. Sam was standing in the living room, Seth right behind him.

"Sam?" I asked blankly.

"You're back," he said, looking shocked.

"Back in what sense?" I asked him. "I'm banned from La Push."

"Doesn't mean you can't help us," he said. "Come walk with us."

I gave an uneasy look at Seth, who simply shrugged. I obliged them and headed out the door. Sam and I headed down the street.

"Irina is back," he said abruptly. "Jacob doesn't know, since he's been at the hospital and we haven't really talked. We need every last wolf we can get. Even if you can't go to La Push, I need you to try to protect Charlie and your mother."

"I can't," I replied.

"What do you mean, you can't?" he asked. "Jacob forbade you from entering La Push, not from phasing. This is your duty, Leah, as a pack member. You can't turn your back on it, just because Jacob decided to be a moron."

"Jacob didn't decide to be a moron. That was me," I said, frustrated. "Sam, I can't phase."

"You _can _phase and you _will_."

"No, Sam, I can't," I said weakly. I sat down in the grass lining the sidewalk and looked up at him helplessly.

"Leah, what's wrong?" he asked, noting the change in my demeanor.

"Sam, I can't phase. I'm pregnant," I said.

His eyes bugged open. "But... that was impossible. Your thoughts..."

"I thought it was impossible. But somehow..." I trailed off.

"Is it Jacob's?" he asked, frowning.

"No," I lied.

"Do you know who the father is?" he pressed.

"Yes, of course I know who the father is!" I snapped.

"Your ex?" he asked delicately.

"David's dead," I said hollowly. "He died two weeks ago in a car accident. That's why I'm back."

Sam froze.

"Leah, I'm -- "

"Don't go there," I replied. "I don't want anyone's pity. Just know that I can't phase. You can't count on me, Sam. All along, I was just the girly wolf. You know that."

"Don't use that as an excuse, Leah!" he snapped. "Making everyone feel sorry for you doesn't work!"

"I'm not," I murmured. "Sam, I'm changing. I'm not going to be the same old Leah anymore. I'm working on it. It's going to take some work, but I'm sick and tired of being the homewrecker, the tribe messer-upper. Sam, I'm not coming back to La Push."

"Even if I talk to Jacob? Even if Bella changes her mind?"

"I highly doubt that's going to happen," I replied, remembering Jacob's hollow expression when he told me to leave. "Look. I'm going to get some sleep. It's getting late. Take care of La Push, Sam. No matter what happens, it's still my home."

And with that, I got up and headed back to the house, not giving him a second glance.

* * *

_Figured a chapter was needed in Leah's perspective to give everyone a better idea of what's really going on. :) I love Leah's character, even if most of you can't stand her. LOL. Anyways, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!  
Thanks for reading!  
Please review!  
xoxo_


	16. Absolution is Such a Big Word

Chapter 16 -- Absolution Is Such A Big Word

* * *

Disclaimer: My name is not Stephenie Meyer. Today is my birthday, so give me a break!! ;)

* * *

I sat in the living room, an old dictionary propped up in my lap, my eyes scanning the page. _Forgiveness. _Synonym... _Absolution. _Sounded like the opposite of a solution. I knew that wasn't what it meant, but it was my only chance now. Bella would have to... _absolve _me. I grimaced. It made me sound like some sort of chemical, a poison. A drug. Strange. That was the very thing I had always envisioned Edward Cullen as being. I guess I was truly no better.

I sighed and shut the dictionary and set it back up on the shelf next to the TV. Norah's accident had made the other things seem so much smaller, but I still couldn't fully push away the guilt that I felt inside. It was eating away at me.

_Jacob Black, you are an idiot._

Truer words had never been spoken... or well, thought. At least by me.

* * *

Quil and Collin came barging into our house at 5:15 the following morning. The sun hadn't even begun to rise above the mountains toward the east.

"Jacob!" Quil's voice yelled from the living room.

I jumped awake. Jake was still fast asleep next to me. They said that the pack members had hearing like wolves. Yeah. Right.

"Jacob Black!" Quil yelled a little louder.

I shook Jacob awake. I finally opened his eyes blearily.

"Get dressed. You've got... _visitors_," I said scathingly. What reason on God's green Earth did they have barging in here at this hour?

"Ugh..." Jacob groaned. He got up and reached for his pants.

"Jacob!" Collin exclaimed exasperatedly, shoving the bedroom door open

Jacob's head snapped to the open door. He stood up in full glory.

"Can I help you?" he growled.

The heat was visible in Collin's cheeks as he flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry," he sputtered. "I didn't mean to... interrupt."

It was my turn to blush vividly. Jacob didn't even defend himself. He put on his pants as Quil came rushing to the door and then sat down next to me on my side of the bed.

"Jake. She's back," he gasped.

There was only one "she" who could evoke such terror in Quil.

"Irina?" Jacob asked darkly. His movements suddenly had an edge to them, almost jerky.

Quil's nod made my stomach churn and then bottom out. I weakly grasped Jacob's arm.

"Norah," I whimpered, drawing my knees up to my chest.

"She's fine," Jacob said, cupping my cheek. He threw a T-shirt and a pair of pants to me. I went into the bathroom and put them on, my heart racing erratically.

As soon as I was decent, I went into Norah's room and scooped her up. She barely stirred.

"Does Sam know?" I heard Jacob ask as the conversation moved from our bedroom out to the hallway.

"He sent us to tell you and then run to Forks to get Seth," Quil answered.

"And Leah?" Jacob asked sharply. "He told me that she was with Sue and Charlie now."

"Leah's not part of the pack anymore, Jake," Quil replied slowly, uneasily. "Sam said that she can't phase."

"Can't or won't?" Jacob grumbled. He suddenly changed his tone of voice to a more business-like manner. "So that explains why you have to go and pick him up."

"Yes," Quil replied. "Sam figured you could drop Bella and Norah off at the Cullens'. He said she'd be safest there while we're... hunting."

"I guess," Jacob answered. He sounded torn, conflicted.

"Irina wouldn't dare attack the Cullens, Jake," Quil replied. "You know that."

"It's not Irina I don't trust. I know exactly what move she'll make. It's Edward."

I sighed, cuddling Norah close to my chest. I guess hoping that Jake and Edward would eventually settle their differences and get along was _too_ much to even hope for.

* * *

Quil and Collin accompanied Jacob to the Cullens' to drop Norah and me off.

Alice was waiting on the front porch for us.

"Edward told me he heard you coming," she replied. "Hi, Jacob. Hi, boys," she said, waggling her fingers.

"Hey, Alice," Jake said, smiling. "You'll take care of my girls?" he asked.

"Always do," she replied cheerfully.

"Be careful out there," I told him seriously.

"Always am," he said in an uncanny resemblence of Charlie. My heart twitched painstakingly as I was reminded of my dad.

Jacob scooped me into a huge hug and kissed his fingertips before rested them on my slight belly. The baby fluttered once more and tears welled up in my eyes.

"I hate this," I blubbered.

"I know," Jacob whispered, kissing me softly on the forehead. "But I'll be back before you even realize that I'm gone. I'm sure Norah will have plenty of fun playing with Alice and -- "

He was cut off by a high-pitched scream that made my heart stop.

"Uncle Emmett!" Norah screeched, kicking her good foot wildly as Emmett swung her up into the air. He swooped her up and practically flew toward the house with her.

"See?" Jacob said pointedly, raising one eyebrow. "Norah's already having fun."

"I guess you're right," I said, trying not to pout. I looked back toward the house. Alice was standing on the porch, a blank, passive expression on her face.

"Alright," I said quickly. "Stay safe," I added, kissing him on the cheek one last time.

"I will," he promised. With much effort, he pulled himself away from me and started jogging back toward the woods.

I headed up toward the big house. I couldn't help but feel anxious.

Edward came out of the house to join Alice.

"Still tracking her?" he asked. She nodded, frowning in concentration. I watched her silently.

"Edward, her earlier thoughts aren't completely ou to fthe question. What if she still goes? Or if we kill her and they decide to intervene?"

"That won't happen. And we'll catch her before she gets there, if she _does _make that decision. But she won't be that stupid." Edward's face was tinged with sheer anger and frustration. It almost scared me.

"If she goes where?" I asked hesitantly. "The Denalis?" I guessed wildly.

"The Volturi," Edward said blackly, in an abrupt tone that cut through the silence like ice. "They don't know you're still human, Bella."

I could feel my stomach bottom out and I fell into a chair on the porch.

"So is there really any other option?" I asked. "Something else, besides turning me into a vampire?" I was nearly pleading now.

"Unless the wolves have something that could make you immortal, then no," Alice answered hopelessly. Her normally vibrant soprano voice was flat and dead.

I wrapped my hands around my belly and sighed. If the Volturi came, it wouldn't just be me they'd kill. They'd be killing three. Four if Edward's plans were still in place. Jacob would die if he lost me and our baby.

"We'll stop her," Edward said, placing his icy hand on my shoudler and kneeling down to my level. "I promise."

"Bella," a voice at the front door called. It was Esme, a smiling Norah on her hip. "I'm making fettucini for you and I've got macaroni on the stove for Norah. Hope you're hungry."

"Famished," I said getting up and heading into the kitchen. As I passed Emmett in the living room, he grinned. For some reason, the serious of the conversation had kick-started my hunger.

"Always something that starts with an i," he laughed. "Italiano for the human?" he guffawed.

I rolled my eyes. I sat down in the kitchen and Esme put a plate in front of me. Edward sat down next to me while I was eating.

"You okay?" he asked, sighing.

"Not really. You wouldn't be okay if you had someone trying to kill you once a year either, would you?" I asked pointedly.

"Fair enough," Edward sighed. "I just wish I could go after her myself."

"_No!_" I exclaimed vehemently, scaring myself with the forcefulness and brashness of the word coming out of my mouth.

"I could take care of her myself," he growled.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I need you here with me. With Norah. Having Jacob gone is hard enough. I don't need _both_ of you out there," I grimaced.

"I guess," he sighed. "Although it seems you're more worried about him being out there than you ever were about me," he said, his eyes flashing toward me.

"That's not fair," I said. "Jacob is my husband."

"I was your husband once, too," Edward said, shaking his head. "You never afforded me the same loyalty."

"I did," I said, shaking my head. "But Jacob is the father of my children."

"And I was the father of EJ," Edward insisted. "But you don't put as much thought into that as you should."

"Edward," I sighed. "I'm human. Just because your mind can hold more at one time than mine can, you always think about it." I'd known this for a while, but I was just now voicing it. "I'm sorry. But I have a family and losing Jacob would destroy it. He's my everything now. You and I are simply friends."

"Friends who used to be married," Edward corrected me.

"_Used_ to be," I emphasized. "What are you getting at?" I exclaimed in frustration.

"I don't know," Edward said, diverting his interrogation. "I've got to go talk to Emmett. See you later."

And with that, he got up and left. I couldn't help but frown. What on Earth was wrong with Edward Cullen?

* * *

We had split up into two large groups. Sam was leading the smaller group of Paul, Jared, and Collin. I was leading the bigger group of Seth, Embry, Quil, and Brady.

We had decided to set up a net. Sam was on the inner part and I was on the outer. We had the advantage of being slightly faster, but the Cullens had already warned us that if we were going to stop her, we'd have to do itbefore she hit the Pacific or we'd have to do it all over again and it'd be another Victoria failure.

We'd been at this for over two hours, altering and adjusting our net, watching her every move.

Suddenly, Sam's thoughts rang out. I heard Seth shift his weight toward the ground next to me.

_There she is! Get ready guys!_

Paul snapped and I could suddenly see her through his eyes. She was standing right in front of him, white-blonde hair and amber eyes, so much like the Cullens. Theis one didn't want blood, only revenge. A split second later, she faked a left and then a right. She was playing games with Paul and it was only pissing him off, putting him further and further on edge. He leapt toward her in irritation and anger and she shot under him.

_Damn it, Paul!_ I yelled. She was headed straight for me now. Seth jumped in front of me, distracting her for only an instant -- an instant I needed.

Irina smacked Seth toward a tree, the sheer force echoing through the forest.

_We're going behind you for back up! _Sam responded hurriedly.

I jumped on the distracted vampire, ripping her right arm clean off her torso.

_Way to go! _Embry cheered.

She turned toward me again, ready to strike. However, Quil moved over infinitesimally and she took the open gap between him and Collin and shot straight toward the ocean, missing an arm and all.

_Fuck._

_

* * *

_

_Kind of a shorter chapter, but I split one long chapter up and did some editing and changed my mind about some stuff at the last minute. :) Hope you enjoyed!  
Thanks for reading; please review!  
xoxo_


	17. Discovery of the Bouncing Baby Bundle

Chapter 17 -- Discovery of the Bouncing Baby Bundle

* * *

Disclaimer: If I was Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't have to fight through college. I'd be able to make a living doing what I love. Unfortunately, I haven't finished my first book yet. So we'll see what happens. ;)

* * *

Pissed off, I headed back toward Forks as the sun shone over the mountains once more. We had searched and searched, but Irina was nowhere to be found. I tried to be content with having ripped her am off, but my frustration was evident in each step. Stupid bloodsucker! I tried to keep my frustrated thoughts at bay: if only Paul hadn't jumped, if only Quil hadn't moved at the last second...

I headed through the woods, trying to calm back down.

_Jake, we'll get her next time, _Seth said, trying to reason with me.

_I highly doubt that, _I spat. _I'm headed to Forks. I guess we'll stay at the Cullens for a bit, just to make sure the coast is clear. Alright?_ I said. I figured someone needed to know where I was going.

_Alright, _Seth replied. As I started off toward the town, he stopped me. _Jacob, wait._

_What? _I asked, a tone of irritation in my voice.

_You know that Leah is back at Mom and Charlie's, right? _he asked cautiously.

_Yeah? _I said, itching to get back to the Cullens before the bloodsucker did something stupid.

_Something's... _wrong_ with Leah, _Seth sighed. His thoughts brought up a vision of Leah crying on Sue's lap.

_And that's my problem why? _I groaned. The last thing I needed was more drama with Leah Clearwater.

_She's my sister, Jacob. She was part of our pack before you kicked her out. I think she'd like to see you... just to talk to you, maybe. I don't know... She talked to Sam the other night and I heard Sam say your name._

I frowned. Leah and Sam were talking about _me?_

_Yes. _Seth eyeballed me, taking in my reaction.

_Fine, _I sighed. One conversation with Leah wouldn't kill me. Just as long as I could go straight back to my Bella.

* * *

  
We showed up at Charlie and Sue's a few minutes later. Seth opened the door and I spotted two women sitting at the kitchen table. One was hidden behind a curtain of dark hair, the other holding her hand.

"Leah, you need to talk to me. Why are you being so quiet lately? It's worrying me."

"Mom, I'm always quiet. I have been ever since Dad died..."

"Hey," Seth interrupted. "Leah, I brought someone to see you."

Leah pulled her hair away from her face and looked up at me. Her expression was mixed with shock and horror: two things I hadn't expected to see.

"Can we talk?" I asked her.

"Talk?" she asked blankly.

"Yeah, Seth said that you were... upset," I said, stretching the truth. In fact, he had implied it. He had said that something was wrong with her.

"Yeah, I think that'd fit the correct category of emotions," she sighed.

"I'll give you two a moment alone," Sue said, looking at Seth. She nodded toward the stairs and Seth followed her up them. I sat down in Sue's vacant seat at the kitchen table and sighed.

"It's good to see you," I offered, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Sure," Leah replied awkwardly.

I looked down at the designs in the wood of the kitchen table, tracing them with my fingertips. When I finally looked up at Leah, I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, genuinely worried. It was a rare occasion that Leah actually cried. I only remembered seeing her cry once before.

"Everything," she replied. "I can't go home, I can't phase, I can't even run away from this," she murmured in distress.

"What do you mean, you can't phase?" I asked. "Sam mentioned that you couldn't."

"Did he tell you exactly why I can't phase?" she whispered.

"No," I asked. "I was a bit preoccupied and didn't ask. I figured it was because I gave you an Alpha command."

"Jacob, you know an Alpha command can't keep me from being what I am," she grimaced.

"Oh," I said lamely.

The silence continued.

"Leah, if I could take this all back, I would. I'm sorry that all of this happened. If I could lift the command, I would, but Bella..." I trailed off.

"Bella. Exactly. Jacob, I know that you love her and that your family is your first responsibility, before any of this. I was a fool to interfere with that. But you don't need to apologize. We both know that this is my fault. It's my fault that I'm pr -- "

She stopped horrified, almost as if she had said too much.

"Your fault that you're what?" I asked, intrigued.

"Never mind," she muttered.

"No, tell me," I insisted.

"Why should I tell you anything?" she countered.

"Because you know you owe me," I said. "And it's not like I'm going to go and tell the world."

"True," she sighed. "You can't tell anyone."

"I won't," I replied.

"Jacob, I'm... _pregnant_." Her voice broke and she dissolved into tears once more.

I froze. Leah and I had had sex. Leah and I had had _unprotected _sex. And that meant the baby was mine. Oh God. I felt like a weight had come crashing back down onto my shoulders and I couldn't help but sink down to rest my head on the table. When I had found my voice again, it was hoarse.

"And it's mine?" I breathed.

"No," Leah said, her head shaking a fraction of an inch.

"You're sure?" I asked. "Leah, we -- you and I -- we had sex. It could _be mine. _What the hell makes you think it's not?"

"Jacob, you're not the only person I've had sex with. I went to the doctor and the times don't fit. The baby isn't developed enough for me to be over two months along. The baby is David's," she said, looking down at the table.

"But David's well... _dead_," I replied. "You're really going to have a dead guy's baby?" I asked incredulously.

"I loved him, Jacob. I don't expect you to understand," she said, frowning.

"You told me that you're not even able to have kids, Leah. How the hell is this possible?"

"You're asking the wrong person. I'm as shocked as you are," she sighed. "Do you think I really want to be a mom right now? I'm only twenty-one!"

"You don't have to be a mom right now," I heard myself say.

"I'm not doing that, Jacob," she growled. "This could be my only chance. I'm going to take it and run with it."

I nodded. "So I shouldn't expect you around the reservation or anything?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" she frowned. "I'm banned from the reservation."

"If you're pregnant, you're going to need to be around family. I'm going to talk to Bella and see what I can work out."

Leah nodded. "Jake, I'm really sorry about the stupid crap I pulled. That was ridiculous."

"You're apologizing?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm trying this new thing where I forgive people and stop being so bitter. This kid needs a mom that can bounce back, not one who is bitter and self-absorbed. It's just scary. I'm not ready to do this, especially by myself."

I nodded. "Well you've got your mom and Charlie to help you. And I'm sure Seth will be a great uncle. Have you told them yet?"

Leah shook her head. "No. I told Sam and you and that's it. No one else knows. So please don't tell anyone until I'm ready."

"I won't," I replied. "It'll be okay. But I need to go pick up Bella from the Cullens. Thanks for letting me know what's going on. I appreciate it."

"I just didn't want you thinking that the baby was yours," Leah shrugged. "I mean, it's not, right? So there's no point in you thinking it's yours when it's not. Because Bella wouldn't be happy if it was yours and it just makes it easier on everyone else if we just go ahead and say it's not yours. Because it's not yours. It's David's."

I wasn't even going to try and decipher Leah's eccentrities right that second. I was too anxious to go get Bella away from the ice-man.

"See you around, Leah," I said, getting up and heading to the front door. "And congratulations."

She simply nodded.

* * *

I showed up at the Cullens and spotted Earl pushing Norah in a swing in the front yard. Bella was sitting on the front porch next to Edward.

_I really wasn't planning on having vomit chunks for dinner_, I thought. Stupid bloodsucker looked like he was trying to enjoy the happy family he was never going to have. That's because it was _mine. Not yours. Never yours._

"You know, Jacob," Edward said, getting up. "You ought to clean out your thoughts. Seems like you're harboring a lot of anger and resentment there."

"Get out of my head," I growled.

"Calm down you two," Bella sighed. "We were just waiting on you. Carlisle has offered to do an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. I didn't know if you wanted to do it or not. I was going to wait on you to get here just to make sure."

"Oh, sure," I said. "Are you far enough along."

"I think so. It's already January, so I don't see why not. I mean, we were supposed to have an ultrasound at the doctor's office at the end of this month, but I don't think it would hurt to try. Besides, Carlisle's the most experienced doctor I think we're going to find." She laughed, smiling brightly. She seemed in a good mood.

"Well, I guess. I don't have a problem with it," I shrugged. "If that's what you want."

"It is," she replied. Earl brought Norah up to the front porch and we headed inside. Dr. Fang was sitting in the living room with Esme. The five of us (Dr. Fang, Esme, Bella, Norah, and I) headed upstairs.

"Alice is frustrated because she doesn't know what the baby is going to be. She won't tell me what color she sees the nursery being, either," Bella laughed.

I smiled for her benefit. In actuality, I wanted to get out of the House of Dracula as soon as possible.

Dr. Fang helped Bella up on an exam table in his study and she raised up her shirt slightly. He put some clear jelly-looking stuff on her stomach and then put the doppler on it. I looked over at the screen and saw our baby moving for the first time.

"Baby?" Norah asked. I nodded, grinning at her.

"This one's an active little thing," Dr. Fang laughed. Bella smiled radiantly and looked over at me. "So do you guys think it's a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"Are we taking bets?" Bella hedged. "Because I think it's a boy."

"I think it's a girl," Esme offered.

"I'm not guessing," I said. "I'd probably be wrong anyhow."

Bella laughed.

Dr. Fang moved the doppler around some, checking the baby's head and limbs. "Seems everything's working smoothly," he said. "Your son is perfectly fine."

"Son?" Bella asked in shock. "It's a boy? I was right?" she gaped.

"Looks like it," Dr. Fang laughed. "It's a little early, but I think my three-hundred years of experience makes up for that."

"Norah, you're getting a baby brother!" I told her. I was thrilled. As much as I loved having a daughter, I was definitely looking forward to the experience of having a son.

"Congratulations, you guys," Dr. Fang smiled.

Bella grinned as she wiped the goop off of her belly. I helped her off the table and she kissed me.

"I can't wait," she grinned. "It's fantastic!"

I was glad to see her happy. It made the night infinitely better than the way the day had started off.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Seems like the majority really wanted this baby to be a boy. I was leaning toward that choice anyway. :)  
So, now there's just one decision to be made: what will the baby's name be? Rowan or Benjamin?  
Let me know what you think in your REVIEW. ;)  
Much love.  
xoxo_


	18. Celebration

Chapter 18 – Celebration

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone that you recognize from Twilight that you would see outside this fan fiction trilogy. :) I'm simply a college student that works her tail off for you guys. ;)

* * *

The next evening, I walked into the living room, fresh out of the shower. Norah had been put to bed just a few minutes beforehand and I was just starting to get tired. I sat down next to Jacob on the couch and curled up next to him, resting one hand on my belly.

"You okay?" Jacob asked, kissing my temple.

"I'm fine," I replied, yawning. I looked toward the television to see what he was watching and was surprised to see myself. Norah was sitting on my lap, drinking from a bottle. It was early morning. I was still in my pajama pants and Norah was wearing a sleeper. She was barely six months old. I sighed, remembering how little she had been.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"She was so small," I said, shrugging. "I forgot how little she was."

Jacob nodded. "Remember how afraid I was to hold her?" he smiled. "I was so afraid that I was going to drop her."

"But you didn't," I said.

_"Norie, can you say da-da?" my recorded self asked, pointed at the camera exaggeratedly. "Dad-dee?"_

_"Da da da da da…" Norah trailed off, grinning toothily._

_"Good job!" I cooed to her._

_"Too bad she can't say 'mama,'" Jake laughed._

_"Hey!" I replied indignantly._

_"Ba ba ba ba ma ma ma…" Norah continued._

_I looked down at Norah in surprise, an ecstatic grin crossing my face._

_"She did it, Jake!" I crowed. "Can you say 'mama,' Norie?" I asked her._

_"Ma ma ma da da da…" she babbled._

_The camera dropped to the floor and Jacob and I both cracked up laughing._

"Well, since Norah was our first, it probably won't be as exciting this time around. Let's just hope you don't drop anymore cameras," I said teasingly.

"Eh, probably not," Jacob laughed.

I sighed. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something seemed better, almost easier. Jacob and I hadn't laughed this much in a long time. I missed it. This was the old Jacob, the Jake I could trust with anything. I was happy to have him back.

"You okay, Bells?" Jacob asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Just thinking."

"Tell me what you're thinking about," he murmured.

"You," I admitted, blushing. "How much I love you."

"I love you, too," Jacob said huskily. It was then that I realized how close he was to me, how close his face was to mine, and how his arm was wrapped around me. He smelled like the musky scent of the woods… that was one thing that hadn't changed.

"How much?" I asked, leaning into him just a little bit more.

"More than you know," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He closed the remaining space between us and kissed me. I sighed contentedly.

"What?" he breathed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," I murmured, leaning in and kissing him again. "It feels… good."

Jacob grinned and rested his hand on my upper thigh.

"Is this okay?" he asked softly.

"More than okay," I groaned, trying to shift my weight to alleviate the growing tension between my thighs. "Keep going," I whispered. His other hand trailed down my belly and pinned me closer to him. His mouth met mine once more and our tongues danced together. My hips involuntarily started to grind into him. He pulled away and I realized my breathing had kicked up a notch. It was embarrassingly loud. But I wanted more.

I straddled Jacob, grinding my hips into him once more. He moaned aloud.

"Easy Bells," he murmured.

"I can't help it," I panted, reaching for the bottom of my shirt and pulling it over my head. "Why are you being so apprehensive?"

"I'm not being apprehensive," he replied. "I'm taking things slow," he said, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "First, we're still getting over a rough patch. Secondly, you're moving a lot faster than I want to. I'd like tonight to last for a long while as it _is_ a celebration. And thirdly, honey, you _are_ pregnant and I don't want to hurt the baby."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Jacob, we had sex the other night and the baby was fine. Why are you making excuses?"

"Just shut up, Bella," Jacob growled, one hand making its way up my leg again.

"But – " I stopped when his hand started to move backwards. "That's not fair," I whimpered.

"Then be good," Jacob said, leaning into me and trailing kisses down my neck. I gasped out loud when his fingers dipped into my pants and met my sensitive bud. My hips jerked forward and I moaned. His lips started sucking the fragile flesh on my neck. I groaned when he began to strike a rhythm with his fingers on my clit, picking up with both speed and intensity. My hips began gyrating.

"Jake, please," I panted, reaching for my pajama pants and pulling them down.

"What do you want?" he breathed.

"Your fingers," I murmured.

"What?" he groaned as my hips ground into his stiff member sheathed in his sweatpants.

"Your fingers, Jake," I gasped. "Please."

"Oh, so we're adding manners now are we?" he snickered.

"Damn it, Jacob," I panted.

Suddenly, two of his fingers slammed into me. I gaped at him in shock as he began pumping them in and out, faster and faster. He inserted a third and I began to ride them, my breathing kicked up even higher, my hands in his hair.

"I want to feel you on my cock," he murmured, continuing a string of dirty comments into my ear of all the things he wanted to do to me. I could feel my impending climax closing in. "Yeah, you're so close, baby," Jacob replied as my wall tightened around his fingers.

I nearly screamed aloud as my climax washed over me, sweat breaking out along my forehead.

"Better?" Jake asked, looking into my eyes and grinning.

"A little," I admitted. "But you've got a long way to go."

I got down on my knees on the floor in front of the couch and pulled down Jacob's sweatpants, unleashing the stiffness between his legs. I pulled him into my mouth, as far as he would go, and bobbed my head up and down. As usual, I felt a bit uncomfortable doing it, but apparently he enjoyed it, if the look on his face was any indication. He looked like he was in heaven. I pulled him out and flicked my tongue over his tip and plunged him back into my mouth once more. He was now groaning aloud and shaking ever so slightly, pre-cum spilling out from his tip. I stopped.

"Wha…" he trailed off, opening his eyes. I stood up and left him on the couch, headed toward the bedroom. I dropped my bra and threw it back toward the living room. I sat down on the bed in our bedroom, my elbows supporting my back, my head cocked slightly to the left.

"What are you doing?" he breathed, walking into the room with his noticeable erection sticking right out at me.

"If you want to fuck me," I said slowly, "you're going to have to come over and here and do it properly."

"You naughty, little…" he gasped, climbing onto the bed. He pushed me down underneath him before his feet bell back down on the floor again. I was on my back and my legs wrapped around his waist. The position was slightly uncomfortable, but once he gripped the outside of my thighs and entered me, I didn't care. I was in heaven. I moaned aloud.

"God, Jake…" I groaned.

His first few movements were painfully slow and frustrating. With each thrust, he gathered speed and momentum.

"Fuck yeah, Jake," I breathed. "Yes… Jake… Jacob…"

He slammed into me over and over again frantically and I could feel him everywhere. He was so warm and the sensation of my impending orgasm seemed to blind me. My breasts bounced with every rough movement. Finally, he came with a loud grunt and spilled into me, ushering in my own climax.

Jacob collapsed next to me on the bed, pulling me into his arms.

"That was one hell of a celebration," he remarked.

"You've definitely got that right," I replied with a yawn as my heartbeat slowly calmed back down. I still felt tingly and warm. I curled up next to Jacob and he rested his hand on my belly.

"Hopefully we didn't wake up Baby Black too much," he grinned.

"Nah, I think he's fine," I laughed. "The rocking sensation probably just put him to sleep. He's not kicking or anything. I'm sure he would have let me know if he minded."

Jacob grimaced. "Let's not think about that aspect of it," he groaned.

"I'm sure he's fine," I shrugged. "I know _I_ am."

"You started it," he accused.

"I did not!" I said in shock. "That was all you! At least I finished it."

"Well technically I made you come first, so _I _finished it," he smirked.

"Are we seriously arguing about sex?" I said, appalled.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. You know you enjoyed it," he winked.

"That I did," I said contentedly. I leaned in and kissed Jacob once more.

"But now I am very sleepy and tired and I think I want to go to sleep," I yawned.

"Alright," Jacob said, wrapping his arms around me. I rested my head on the inside of one of his triceps and closed my eyes. Sleep came very quickly.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. I walked into the kitchen and nearly gagged.

"Jacob Black, what are you making?" I groaned.

"Bacon, eggs, and French toast?" he said warily. "Why?"

I ran to the stove, grabbed the pan of eggs and threw it out of the window.

"French toast is okay. Bacon is okay. Eggs make me nauseaous!" I shook the gross smell out of my head, trying to work on clearing it from my nostrils. The noxious smell simply would not go away.

"I'm sorry, baby, I didn't know," he sighed.

"It's alright," I sighed. "I thought I had told you."

"No," he shrugged. "If I would have known, I would have made something else instead."

"Well, French toast and bacon is enough," I replied.

"I'll finish up breakfast if you want to go wake up Norah," he shrugged.

"Sure," I replied. "That's fine."

I headed into Norah's bedroom and shook her awake. She opened her eyes blearily and looked right at me.

"Mommy, Daddy hates Uncle Eddie," she said solemnly.

I frowned.

"Who told you that?" I asked her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Uncle Emmett and Uncle Eddie," she insisted.

I had no idea how or why Norah was thinking the things she was thinking, but suddenly, I was really pissed off. Who had told Norah that Jacob hated Edward? I knew they didn't really care for each other and Edward's unrequited affections probably had furthered his anger toward Jacob, but I couldn't see Edward telling Norah that Jacob hated him. It didn't make sense. And I couldn't see Emmett seeing doing that either. Emmett and Rosalie adored Norah. I could see Rosalie doing it to be a bitch, but I thought we had gotten past all of that.

Apparently not.

"Your daddy and Uncle Edward aren't friends or anything, but your daddy doesn't _hate _anyone. Your aunts and uncles at the Cullens are good people and we're good people. Good people don't hate other people, Norah. It's all just a confusing misunderstanding."

"So Daddy wikes Uncle Eddie?" Norah frowned.

I decided that the best thing to do would to be just to change the subject.

"Well, I don't know about that," I trailed off. "But what I _do_ know is that breakfast is ready and your daddy slaved over it. Let's go eat," I said, picking her up and heading toward the kitchen.

* * *

_Kind of a short chapter. Oh well. I had writer's block and this was supposed to be sort of a filler chapter.  
The results for the baby name question were 25-11. So one name was definitely favored over the other. ;)  
Thanks for reading; please review!  
xoxo_


	19. The Trail of Tears Really Sucked

Chapter 19 – The Trail of Tears Really Sucked

* * *

Disclaimer: No, I do not own the Twilight series. I don't have the same sort of perseverance as Stephenie Meyer. Obviously, since I ha ven't posted a chapter in nearly two months. See author's note.

* * *

Author's Note: I've had so much stuff going on lately. Mostly personal stuff and school stuff. I have 24 pages of nonsense due in school this week and I've been trying to get all of that written. Believe me, I'd much rather be writing something interesting like this, but I just haven't had the time. Also, my dog chewed up my computer charger and I'm just now putting in an order for a new one. And finally, my boyfriend broke up with me and I was really upset, so if I would have written anything, it probably would have ended up with Jacob breaking up with Bella and Edward conquering the world… which you guys would have murdered me for. So once again, I'm sorry for the ridiculously long wait. You guys are worth writing for, though, so I'm going to try and write something at least. :) Mwah.

* * *

"I _hate_ my American History class!" Seth groaned, throwing his backpack across the room in frustration. "It's absolutely ridiculous!" he growled.

"What?" I asked, turning my head to look over at him. Two months had passed. It was March. I was four months pregnant and I felt like a cow. My belly had become slightly rounded and my regular jean shorts had become too tight to button.

Although the weather was nicer than it had been in recent memory, I had spent the majority of the day simply staring out the window. I hadn't been able to summon the effort to get up and merge with the rest of the household. I could tell Mom was worried about me, but she hadn't said much or made much effort to talk to me. I didn't know if she was just anxious or upset or what.

"I should just give up on school," Seth moaned, flopping onto the couch next to me. "I mean, what's the point? We all know what I'm going to end up doing for the rest of my life."

"No," I frowned. "You're not going to do that for the rest of your life. You won't be like..." I trailed off, unable to finish.

"I guess being like _him_ would just make things that much worse," Seth said sullenly.

"Shut up," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Touchy..." Seth slowly said, dragging each syllable out.

"I think I have every right to be," I mumbled.

"You think you have every right to do everything," Seth sighed. "You think you have the right to be sullen and grumpy just because you don't get what you always want."

"That's not true," I said flatly. "Take it back."

"No," Seth replied. "I won't."

I got up, turning away from him.

"Keep running from your problems, Leah. It's not going to help you out in the long run at all. It's just going to make it so much worse that when you finally have to face it, it's gonna hit you like a brick wall. Like a tsunami. Or something."

"I'm not running!" I replied forcefully.

"You? Not running?" Seth smirked. "Yeah, right. You've been doing nothing but running since Jacob pushed you away."

"Shut up!" I yelled.

I heard someone come running down the stairs. I looked over and saw Mom's shocked look.

"Leah?" she murmured. "Calm down. It's okay."

"No, it's not," I replied. "I need some air."

I turned around and walked out the door. I kept walking and walking... not really looking where I was going.

I don't know how long I walked. I don't know when I started crying, either. And when it started pouring down raining, I barely noticed.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for, if I was really looking for anything. La Push came upon me like a sudden light in the dark. I hadn't expected to see it... to see _home._ I walked past the sign that welcomed visitors to the reservation. I wasn't sure where I planned on going. I'd been banned from La Push, but for some reason, that didn't matter anymore. I was able to walk on the grounds of La Push for some reason.

The sun was starting to set and I was so tired. I soon found myself outside Sam and Emily's. I sat on the fence surrounding their property. I knew I was intruding, but I didn't care. I just needed to think. I let the thoughts mull over in my head. I missed Jacob. I hadn't seen him in so long. But he was married to Bella. I knew I couldn't interfere with that. Jacob loved his wife and putting myself into their marriage was about the stupidest and most selfish thing I could possibly do. I fell to my knees and cried. I was torn.

"Leah?" I heard someone call my name in the distance. I looked away, wiping away the tears. It was Emily. She was standing on her front porch. The shock and worry on her face was more than I could bear. She was worried about me. I didn't deserve her to be worried about me at all. I got up and started trailing toward her. The wind was kicking up and I could barely see in front of me.

I lost my balance and suddenly I was falling... I hit the ground and suddenly, my bleak little world had become nothing.

* * *

"Leah?"

"Lee?"

"Leah, please wake up..."

I could hear voices. Someone's warm hand was holding mine. My eyes felt so heavy. I could barely lift them.

"She fluttered her eyes," an all-too-familiar voice said.

_Jacob._ What was he doing here? Where was I?

I fought to open my eyes. I found myself face-to-face with Sam, Emily, and Jacob.

"Jake?" I murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"I think the proper question is what you're doing here?" he replied. "I banned you from La Push, Leah. That was an Alpha command. How the hell did you break it?"

"It wasn't intentional," I replied. "I just went walking."

"You walked here from Forks? In the rain? In your condition? Lee..." Sam sighed.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"You tripped and fell. It was -- is -- raining really hard and it's really windy outside. I think your blood sugar was a little low from all of that walking, too," Sam explained.

"Oh," I sighed.

"That's all you have to say?" Jacob growled. "Oh?" He sighed.

"What am I supposed to say?" I snapped.

"Leah, calm down," Sam warned me.

"No, I'm not going to calm down! You're the one that left, Jake. I was head over heels for you and you told me to leave."

"Leah, I'm married," he said weakly. "I never wanted a relationship with you..."

"I know," I sighed. "But it's like you just smashed my heart into the ground, like you never even cared at all. If you seriously cared anything about me, even as a friend, you should have done something... anything..."

"Leah, you need to calm down and eat something. Getting stressed out is definitely not good for you or the baby..." Sam seemed anxious.

"The baby..." Jacob trailed off. "Billy told me that the only way you could come back to La Push after I banned you was if the baby was mine. How can you be absolutely positive that it's not?"

"Jacob..." I trailed off.

"I need to know, Leah. Is the baby mine or is it David's?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I blurted out. "And why do you even care so much? This is just going to be one more thing that's going to jump into your relationship with Bella! So do everyone a favor, Jake. Leave us alone. Go back to Bella and Norah."

Jacob blinked at me for a second before shaking his head.

"I'm not going to just leave you on your ass, although I probably should at the moment."

"If that's how you really feel, then you should just go," I said, turning around to face the wall. "I'm sick of this, Jacob. I have _way_ too much on my plate right now to have to be dealing with this!" I buried my face in my pillow, trying to hide my reaction.

"What do you want from me, Leah?" Jacob asked, sounding bewildered. I was too afraid to look up at his face. I wasn't scared… I was just anxious about what I might see.

I heard him sigh.

"Leah. Look." he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to the bed. I looked up at him ever so slightly. "I know this is hard for you and maybe I'm being a little pushy. But you don't understand. I have so much at stake right now. My entire family. This isn't just hard on me and you… it's been hell for Bella."

I groaned. "Please don't talk to me about Bella."

"I have to," Jacob said. "You're not telling me the truth, Leah. There's no way you could have come back on this reservation if that baby wasn't mine. That's what Billy told me a long time ago, after all of this happened. It was my fault I let things go as far as they did. It was my fault that I didn't say no to the alcohol that night. I have an equal responsibility in all of this, Leah."

"No, you don't," I said, looking down at the carpet. "You don't at all. I was the fucked up one. I was the one that tried to ruin everything. You shouldn't even be here right now."

"What are you talking about?" Jacob asked, frowning at me.

I sighed.

"Jacob, you weren't drunk that night," I said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I was. I sure as hell wouldn't have cheated on my wife if I was sober, Leah!" Jacob exclaimed indignantly.

"You weren't sober," I said quietly.

"Then what was I if I wasn't drunk and I wasn't sober?" Jacob asked, crossing his arms across my chest. "I've put up with too much crap from you over the last couple of months, Leah! I can't just sit here and bend over backwards for you!"

"I'm not asking you to. Just listen, okay?" I asked him, pleading. "I made a huge mistake. I was a different person then, okay? I'm honestly only trying to make everything better and be a better person for this baby. I need to know that you'll still be here for him or her, if not for me."

"So I'm the father?" Jacob asked me in disbelief. I couldn't help but nod. Horror crossed his face as his worst fears were confirmed and I watched him sit down in shock.

I took advantage of the silence.

"I didn't do it on purpose," I said. "I had already been drinking and was buzzed before you got there. I had put something a bit stronger in one of the Vodka bottles. The one with the red cap. The others had silver ones. The one with the red cap had one of my 'special' drinks in it. Something that most people don't drink. Perhaps it's because we're wolves and things don't affect us as much as they do normal people, I don't know… but the absinthe and vodka was the only thing that really made me forget everything else. That's why it had that greenish tinge to it."

"Okay?" he asked, obviously not getting my point.

"My point is that you couldn't have had any idea what you were doing. That much alcohol in you, plus you not being used to it… Jake, I'm so sorry. I never wanted this. Any of it. I just needed to feel close to someone and you kinda walked into my self-pitying routine and I blamed it on you. I can understand if you want nothing to do with this… situation. It's completely my fault."

"I'm not going to leave you on your ass, Leah. I knew the whole situation was fucked up in the beginning, but it is what it is. We'll get through it. Bella's not going to be happy at all, but she's just going to have to deal."

"I hope you don't explain it to her like that. She's not going to be happy about this. Maybe it would just be better on you to just leave us alone. Get life going with you and Bella and Norah and your new baby."

"Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked me, obviously confused.

"I have to. It's what's best for all involved. I don't want my kid growing up thinking he or she isn't wanted. And I'm sure that Bella doesn't want me interfering for forever, right?"

It was like peeling a band-aid off. I figured if I did it quickly, it wouldn't hurt as much. But Jacob looked completely crushed.

"You want this to be like an Embry thing. You heard his thoughts for yourself, Leah. Even though we all tried to block it out. He never knew who his dad was and it ate at him over and over again. It was like he didn't know who he was."

"Maybe one day our baby will know who his or her father is. But what's important right now is being able to move on. Getting back up on our feet. This road's gonna be messy and it's gonna hurt like hell, but in the end, this was all my fault. Not yours. And not Bella's. And in the end, I'm going to be the one that has to deal with it all and reap the consequences of what I sewed. You know, I don't think you really know where to go until you hit rock bottom. And right now, I think I'm right about there."

Jacob sighed before putting his head in his hands.

"This doesn't feel right," Jacob sighed.

"I know," I replied. "But it'll hurt less and less and then one day, it won't hurt anymore."

"You can't honestly believe that," Jacob spat.

"But I do," I said, shrugging. "Besides, you'll have enough to deal with, what with your new baby's impending arrival. I heard it's a boy."

Jacob nodded and even when grief was apparent in his eyes, he seemed to radiate excitement somehow. I knew I was doing the right thing. Jacob was going to be happy with her and I wasn't going to hold him back.

If only I could stay this strong.

* * *

_Sorry for this being so late… I've just been busy with personal stuff and school and life in general. I'm not usually this busy and I'm usually better at updating, but I've just been so unbelievably stressed._

_Like I explained in the author's note, if I would have updated before now, Leah would have killed Bella and won Jacob and Edward would have conquered the world. I wanted to give you guys a good quality chapter and I hope I succeeded._

_Please review?_

_Love you guys.  
xoxo_


	20. Two Words: Guilt Sucks

Chapter 20 – Two Words: Guilt Sucks

* * *

Disclaimer: My name is not Stephenie Meyer. Sorry to burst your bubble.

* * *

I came home to see Bella sitting on the couch with Norah, watching TV.

"Daddy's home!" Norah squealed, running over to me. I picked her up and gave her a kiss on the top of her forehead.

"Where were you?" Bella asked me, shifting her position on the couch. She was seven months pregnant now and just starting to get a little uncomfortable. She placed one hand behind her back and grimaced.

"I ran down the street to Sam's," I replied. "Emily spotted Leah down by the end of their property."

"In this mess?" Bella asked.

I nodded, hoping Bella wouldn't make a huge deal of it.

"Well, is she okay?" she asked, frowning. "It's pouring like cats and dogs out there."

"She passed out and hit her head on something. But she should be okay. Sam and Emily are taking care of her. I decided to come back here and spend some time with you and Norah," I replied.

"How did Leah even get on the reservation? Isn't your Alpha command still in effect?" she asked me. She looked a bit worried.

"I don't know how she got here. She told me she had walked all the way here from Forks. I don't know what happened with the Alpha command either."

"Walked?" Bella looked surprised. "That's crazy."

"It's Leah," I replied. "She's got a lot on her plate right now."

"I see," Bella said. She leaned over and pulled out a baby book from under the couch.

"Sit down, honey," she said, nodding toward the seat next to her.

I walked over and took the seat next to her and she looked at a few highlighted names on the page. "Our Quileute jumping bean is going to be here in a few weeks and we still don't have a name picked out."

"True," I said. "What did Sam and Emily decide to name their son?" I asked her.

"Emily told me that they decided on Aiden Wyatt Uley," she said.

"Interesting name," I said, shrugging. "It goes well with Levi."

Bella nodded slowly, perusing through the book.

"Well, I want to name him something a little different," she said. "I don't know what, though."

"I like the name Ben," I offered. "Ben Black?"

"Umn, that makes him sound like he's Sam's kid. Sam's black fur?" she said, shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe we could use it as a middle name. Benjamin?"

"Benjamin Black," I said under my breath. "I like it."

"Me, too," Bella admitted. "But we still need a first name. Something not too common..." she trailed off.

"But not too weird, either," I added.

"What about Jude?" Bella asked, pausing. "That sounds a lot like Jane."

"Norah's middle name?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said brightly. "I think I like that. Jude Black."

"Jude?" I asked, frowning.

"Jude," she grinned.

"Maybe not as a first name," I said, shaking my head. "It's a little odd."

Bella sighed. "I liked that one."

"Well, maybe as a middle name," I suggested. I took the book from her and flipped through it, pausing on a random page in the R section. "Rowan?" I asked.

"Rowan?" she asked. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know. From the rowan tree. Whatever a rowan tree is," I shrugged. "I like the way it sounds, though. Rowan Benjamin Black. Rowan Jude Black. Which one do you like better?" I asked her.

"I think I like it," she said, looking down at her belly. "Rowan Black. Rowan Jude Black, Rowan Benjamin Black. What about Rowan James Black?" she asked, looking up at me.

"That's fine, too. We'll pick out a middle name at some point down the line. But I like Rowan."

"I think I like it, too," she said, smiling. "Norah?" she called.

Norah looked away from the TV and back at Bella.

"What, Mommy?" she asked agitatedly.

"Do you like the name Rowan for your baby brother?" she asked.

Norah just nodded and looked back at the TV, going back into her dazed Backyardigans state.

"Well, I think we've got a name for the baby," Bella sighed contently.

I grinned at her. "Rowan. I like it a lot," I admitted.

"It's unique. Just like this baby will be," Bella smiled happily, looking down at her rather large stomach. "Just think. In a few short weeks, we're going to have another child. A son _and _a daughter. I can't wait."

"I know," I said, sighing. "Seems like it all just went by so fast..." she trailed off.

"When is Emily's baby due?" I asked, frowning. "Should be any day now, right?"

"Yeah," Bella sighed. "I talked to her the other day. She said that little Aiden should be here at just about any time. Sam's going crazy again with the whole not letting her out of the house thing. I mean, where is she going to go?" Bella laughed.

"I have no clue. Sam's probably just being paranoid," I shrugged.

"Probably," Bella agreed. "She mentioned something about doing a home birth. Apparently, she didn't like the whole hospital experience last time and she doesn't want to leave Levi alone at the reservation for three days. I told her that we could watch him for her, but she's just adamant about staying here."

"Well, Emily feels more comfortable at home," I said slowly. "But don't you think it's a little risky, having the baby here instead of at the hospital?"

"Emily's just being stubborn. She's going to do what she wants, when she wants. I won't mind leaving Norah with Billy or Charlie or someone while I'm having this one. But Emily, she just doesn't want to let Levi out of her sight. I didn't say it was rational."

I laughed.

While Bella continued to go on and on about Emily and birth and Aiden and Rowan, my thoughts wandered. I wondered where Leah would have our child. I knew that she didn't want me to be an active part in our child's life, for the sake of everyone involved, especially Bella, but I couldn't help but want to be part of my kid's life. Wasn't that natural? Wasn't that something that every father was supposed to do? Attend their child's birth? I knew one thing, though. I loved Bella and our two children. Nothing was going to tear me apart from them, least of all this. I was curious and wanted to be a part of my third child's life, but if Leah wouldn't have it and Bella didn't want me to be part of his or her life, then I was obligated to do what was best for everyone involved.

"Jake?"

I looked up at Bella.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"You didn't hear the phone ring?" she asked, looking at me strangely. "Sam just called. Emily's gone into labor."

"What?" I repeated in shock.

"I said, Emily's gone into labor and Sam wants us on standby just in case they need to take Levi out of the house."

"Oh," I said. "Okay. What a coincidence, what with us just talking about the baby and all..." I trailed off.

"Yeah," Bella nodded. "Umn, Leah is there, watching Levi for now. He said that they have everything under control for now."

I nodded. "That's good. If they need me to run down and go pick him up, I can."

"He said they'd call if it was necessary," she replied.

"I see," I said.

"So, do you know if Leah is staying in La Push now?" Bella asked.

"No. Why?" I shrugged.

"I don't know, I just thought I'd ask. I mean, have you lifted that Alpha command?" Bella questioned.

"I mean, I don't see the point in enforcing it if Leah's pregnant and -- "

"Leah's pregnant?" Bella said, dropping the baby book she had been flipping absentmindedly through to the floor.

_Shit._

"Yeah, umn, she told me a while back. I didn't think it mattered..."

"It matters to me!" Bella gaped. "How come you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't a huge deal," I lied, feeling guiltier than ever.

"It _is _a huge deal!" Bella exclaimed. "How far along is she?"

"Four months," I said dully.

"Four _months?_" Bella's jaw dropped, nearly hitting her belly. "But you... and Leah... that was around -- " She started ticking off the months on her fingers, counting backwards. "Jacob, is that baby yours?"

I couldn't lie. I couldn't bring myself to even try.

"She doesn't want me around at all. My life revolves around you and Norah and Rowan, okay?" I started getting defensive. "It was a bullshit mistake and I'm sorry for it and I thought we were already over it."

"How long have you known?" Bella asked weakly.

"She told me that it was mine today," I explained. "I've known she was pregnant for a while, but she initially told me that it was her dead boyfriend's..." I trailed off. "She also explained that she drugged me with absinthe and vodka and that's why I was unable to... _put off_ her advances."

"She lied to you and said that you weren't the father?" Bella asked incredulously. "_And_ she drugged you?!?"

"Once she showed up on the reservation, I kinda figured it out," I said. "Bella, I am _so sorry._ I never planned for it to end up like this. I made a foolish, stupid mistake and I am completely and irrevocably ashamed of what happened."

Bella sighed.

"You're having a baby with Leah Clearwater," she groaned, looking down at what was left of her lap. "I mean, I get that it wasn't your fault. You didn't _ask _Leah to do any of those things to you."

"Bells, Leah is having a baby and I'm the biological father. But she's already said that I won't have any part of this child's life," I said.

Bella's jaw dropped even further.

"_She what?!?_" she exclaimed. "She can't just have your baby and then tell you to go away!"

"I thought you'd want me to stay away," I frowned.

"Look, I know what went down between your dad and Embry, and that _will not_ happen between you and _any_ of your children. I don't care who the mother is."

I frowned at my wife in confusion. This wasn't what I had expected at all. I had expected her to go off the handle and condemn me to hell. Instead, her anger seemed completely directed at Leah. Maybe, just maybe, she would forgive me. And maybe the innocent child Leah was carrying wouldn't have to suffer for the stupid, moronic move his or her mother made.

* * *

_  
Yeah, I know, kinda short. But this is finals week and I've been pulling 20-hour days. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter... there sure was enough going on!_

_Please review!! That's what keeps me going and inspires me! And, it's the only form of payment that I get._

_Much love._  
_xoxo_


	21. Aiden Wyatt Uley

Chapter 21 – Aiden Wyatt Uley

* * *

Disclaimer: Have I mentioned how much I love babies? Like seriously. They smell like baby powder... so good!! haha. :) But anyways, I am not Stephenie Meyer... she has three sons and a nice house and a loving husband and I'm just struggling to get by. LOL.

* * *

We received a phone call from Sam at around eight-thirty that night. He sounded slightly irritated and tired.

"Bella, can you do us a favor?"

I frowned. "Depends on what it is," I said lightly.

"Can you have Jacob come over here and pick up Levi? Emily's getting a little worried because he keeps asking her if she's okay and stuff..." he trailed off awkwardly.

"Sure," I said, looking over at Jacob, who was snoozing on the couch with Norah snuggled up against him. "He'll be over there in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Sam said gratefully.

I put the phone on the cradle and walked over to Jake and pulled Norah out from under his arm. She barely stirred.

"Jake," I said rather loudly. He was sleeping like a log. "Jacob?"

He murmured and turned to face the arm of the couch.

"Jacob?" I said a little louder.

He didn't respond.

"JACOB!!" I yelled.

Norah and Jacob both woke up with a start.

"Geez, Bells... you didn't need to scream," he groaned.

"Yeah, well, if I don't yell, then you won't get up. I said your name several times," I sighed. "Sam just called and he wants you to go pick up Levi. I guess it's getting pretty close."

"Emily's having the baby?" he asked stupidly.

"You knew that. She's overdue anyway. I thought that baby was never going to come."

"Do I have to go in?" Jacob asked, yawning.

"Of course not," I sighed. "Just pick up Levi and bring him over here and we'll watch him for the night."

Jacob nodded, heading for the door.

"Can Norie go?" Norah begged, following Jacob out the door.

"No, honey. I'll be right back with Levi, okay? I'm just running to Sam and Emily's real quick. Levi's going to be a big brother pretty soon," Jacob explained carefully.

Norah pouted for a second. "Levi come over here?" she asked.

Jacob nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, walking out the door.

I turned the TV to Blue's Clues and slowly sat back down on the couch, yawning.

Norah came back over to the couch and sat back down next to me.

"Mommy, I love you," she said, resting her head on what was left of my lap.

* * *

Jacob returned with Levi about half an hour later. Levi was wearing a camouflaged backpack, chock full of clothes, pull-ups, and a ratty old teddy bear he called 'Gatsby.' Norah immediately jumped off the couch and the two of them hugged. Norah yanked his hand that was wrapped around the bear and pulled him toward the TV.

"Blue's Clues, We-by!" she exclaimed, as if it was the greatest thing in the world.

I couldn't help but laugh. My eyes met Jake's and I could still see the light in them, somewhere. That fire that resembled the sun. Maybe, just maybe things would be alright. I could hope again, couldn't I? He wouldn't let me down again. Not this time. The last time wasn't his fault. Not really. I mean, sure, he could have handled things a little better. I mean, everyone makes mistakes, right?

No, I wouldn't hold it against Jacob. Not now that I knew the whole story.

The only person that I could hold it against would be Leah. Not Leah and Jacob's baby (although I regretted that she was having my husband's child, most definitely). It would be Leah that I would need to talk to, Leah that I would need to confront. Not today, of course. But eventually. When the time presented itself. And then, everything would finally be okay. The ship would then right itself.

* * *

It was four o'clock in the morning when Sam called again. Norah and Levi were asleep in her bed, both completely wiped out. It was dark as Jacob made his way to the phone. I heard a loud yell and crash. I got up, wrapping my bath robe around me, and flipped on the living room light. Jacob was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, clutching his ankle, and wincing in pain. Norah's sit and spin was in the middle of the room, not far away from where Jacob was groaning. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I went into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella, it's Sam," Sam said. His voice was full of excitement.

"I'm guessing Emily's had the baby," I responded. "That's why you would be calling us at four in the morning."

"Yeah," Sam said. I could hear his grin through the phone. "Aiden Wyatt Uley. Eight pounds, twelve ounces, twenty-one inches long."

"That's one big baby!" I gaped. "How is Emily?"

"She's good. Tired, but good."

"That's great. Wonderful," I replied sincerely. "Who does he look like?"

"I think he looks a little more like Emily. Levi looks a lot like me, but this one came out and he's the spitting image of his mom," Sam said proudly.

"Aww...." I replied. "Well, I'm sure we'll come and see him in the morning. Let Levi see his little brother and all. But I'm going to get to bed. Jacob's being a fool and just tripped over one of Norah's toys."

Sam laughed. "Well, thanks for watching Levi. I just wanted to update you on everything and let you know that the baby's here."

"Thanks," I replied. "I appreciate it. We'll see you tomorrow," I said, wrapping the conversation up.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Bye," I replied, putting the phone back down on its cradle.

Jacob hobbled into the kitchen.

"Emily's had the baby?" he asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "A boy. Almost nine pounds."

Jacob's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's one big baby!" he exclaimed. "No wonder Ems was as big as a house with this one!"

"Jacob!" I reprimanded him. "That's not nice! She wasn't _that _big!"

"Okay, okay," he said, pulling my hand and leading me into the bedroom. "Let's head back to bed. I don't know about you, but I for one am exhausted."

"I'd gladly sleep, but your son is kickboxing my ribcage," I groaned, feeling the pressure of Rowan's little feet pressing into my ribs. It hurt.

"Son, pipe it down," Jacob said authoritatively.

I sighed. "Jake, you do well with Norah. But this one is going to have a mind of his own," I laughed.

"I'll manage. Promise," he said, heading back into the bedroom.

* * *

We got up at around ten the following morning. While I was in the shower, Jake got Norah and Levi ready to see the baby. My back was starting to hurt. The pressure of the hot water felt good against it.

"Bells, honey, I love you. But honestly, how long do you _need _to spend in the shower?" he asked agitatedly.

"Mama!" I heard Norah yell. "Go see Baby Aiden?" she pleaded.

"I'm on my way out!" I huffed. I could never get five minutes to myself. I knew it was going to get even worse when the new baby came. I guess it was something that I was going to have to get used to. I got out of the shower and wrapped my bath robe around myself. I reached for my pants and suddenly, I heard a loud banging on the door.

"Bells!"

"I'm hurrying!" I exclaimed.

"No, now!" Jacob's voice sounded frantic.

I threw open the door and sighed. "Jacob, I can only move so -- "

Jacob's face was white.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I've got to get you guys to Sam and Emily's. Now. Vampire," he said shortly.

"What? Now?" I groaned. "Are you serious?"

"Do I _look_ like I'm kidding?" he growled.

I dropped my pants and ran into the living room in my bathrobe. I picked up Norah and grabbed Levi's hand. "Come on, you guys," I said. "Let's go see the baby."

"Mommy wear baff wobe?" Norah looked at me incredulously.

"Yes," I answered. "It's the latest fashion. Come _on_, Jacob!" I pressed.

"You seriously want to go outside like that?"

"We don't know who this vampire is," I replied. "It could be Irina."

"Could be," Jacob said. "But we don't know."

"Exactly. So let's go."

"The rest of the wolves are out and about, searching. Just me and Sam are staying behind. We'll be alright."

"Okay," I said, not arguing with him for once. "Let's just get going."

* * *

We arrived at Sam and Emily's a short time later. Emily was in their bedroom, holding their new baby close to her chest.

"Hi, you guys," she said, smiling brightly.

"Oh, Ems," I exclaimed, looking at the small baby's face. "He's beautiful!" In fact, he was. He clearly had Emily's almond-shaped eyes, her delicate nose, and full lips. I could see a bit of Sam in the way his hair stuck up in every direction and in the fullness of his cheeks.

Emily smiled at her new son proudly.

"Levi, would you like to see your new baby brother?" she asked her eldest son.

Levi nodded.

"My baby?" he asked.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Can you put him up here, Bella?" she asked me.

I obliged and put Levi up on the bed, near his mother's lap.

"Me, too! Me, too!" Norah whined.

"No, Norie. Not right now," I told her.

"Pwease? We-by gets to!" she cried.

"She's fine. She can come up here, too," Emily replied.

"Are you sure?" I asked her. "I don't want her to interfere."

"She's fine," Emily repeated. "Besides, she needs to see what the baby looks like. She'll be getting a baby brother before long."

"I guess you're right," I sighed. I picked Norah up and sat her next to Levi. Her eyes widened at the sight of the baby.

"Mama, he's small!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, honey. Babies are small," I told her. "He'll grow and he'll get bigger."

"As big as me?" Norah asked, her eyes widening.

"One day, you'll be as big as me," I told her.

Norah laughed. "No way!"

"Yes, way," I replied.

Emily smirked. "She can't wrap her mind around it," she laughed.

"Of course not. She's been the baby of the reservation for a while. She'll get used to it."

Emily pulled her eldest son close to her and carefully placed the baby near him.

"You can hold him, Levi. See how little he is?"

Levi protectively put one hand around his little brother.

"We-by holds the baby," he proclaimed. "We-by be a good big bwother."

I couldn't help but grin. I would get to experience this in just a few short weeks. I couldn't wait.

"Bella, you know I love you. But why on god's green earth are you wearing a bath robe?"

"It's for a good reason," I sighed. "Let me explain."

* * *

Two hours later, Jacob and Sam returned with dejected looks on their faces.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked.

"She's found a new mate," Sam hissed. "Neither of us expected that."

"Oh, God," I moaned, sitting down.

"There's good news though," Jacob said. "He's young."

"He made quite a few mistakes. Collin is still young and doesn't have much experience. If it were one of us or Quil or Embry or Seth, then we would have had him. But Collin got overly excited and lunged for him and we missed him. They hit the water again."

I sighed. Would this never be over?

Jacob pulled me into his arms protectively, as if he could read my mind.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You know that. You and Norah and Rowan are my life. I love you."

"I know," I whispered, trying to keep the tears from falling, betraying me.

* * *

_Kinda short, but I just posted a chapter yesterday. :)_

_Thanks for reading! Please review!_

_Much love._  
_xoxo_


	22. How to Lose A Life

Chapter 22 -- How to Lose A Life

* * *

Disclaimer: Obviously, I am NOT Stephenie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be in my current predicament.

A/N: Life is ridiculously crazy right now. I'm writing these between two other papers I have due for class tomorrow. Be thankful. LOL. Love you guys.

* * *

I was running down the path of the reservation, jogging toward the woods... not phased, not in the process of phasing, and not even thinking about phasing. It was different. I was thinking and I wanted my mind to be absolutely clear, without any fear of some stupid wolf interjecting their thoughts.

Love.

I knew what love was. It was that deep connection that held Bella and I together, that had kept us together through the good and the bad, the rough and the ugly. I had hurt Bella in more ways than I thought it was possible to hurt someone. But she loved me. And she had given me another chance and I _was not_ going to blow it. I had too much to live for, too much of a great life, and too much to lose. Too much to risk. And not just with the things going on with Leah... the things going on with Irina had really put things in perspective for me. I was NOT going to blow it.

I listened to my feet pattering on the pavement. It was raining as always in Forks, but I wasn't worried about getting wet. I wouldn't get sick. No, that was just one of the other "unnatural" things about me. I sighed and looked up, realizing that once again, I had found myself at Sam and Emily's. I sighed. Bella was at home with Norah. I knew I should be getting back. I turned around and instinctively headed back toward the house.

"Jake?"

I cringed. _Fuck. _

"Jacob, please?" Leah came outside, her hands clasped protectively around her belly.

I ripped myself away from the pulling, nagging feeling that was telling me I should just turn around and go home.

"We need to talk," she said pointedly. I smiled, as if trying to seem sincere.

"I've got to go, Leah," I said. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Jacob, it's just a talk. Please?"

She was nearly begging.

I sighed and nodded, my smile a plastic one, taking the seat next to her on the porch.

**Leah POV**

_Step one you say we need to talk  
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk  
He smiles politely back at you  
You stare politely right on through  
Some sort of window to your right  
As he goes left and you stay right  
Between the lines of fear and blame  
You begin to wonder why you came_

"Jacob, I told you that you could leave us alone," I said, frowning. "But you're back."

Jacob merely nodded, his glassy-eyed stare drifting toward the woods and beyond to the ocean waves rolling behind them.

He shrugged. "I feel responsible."

"But you shouldn't," I said flatly. "This baby is my fault and my responsibility."

"But it's my son or daughter," Jacob said. "I'm sick of fighting over it."

"Then don't," I said quietly.

He ripped his gaze away from the treeline and looked at me harshly.

"I'm not walking away. It doesn't matter if you fucked me over or not. I'm not leaving my baby behind."

I sighed and looked down at my knees.

"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, Jacob. I lost you." I couldn't piece together everything that happened... it was such a blur.

"I was never yours in the first place. Maybe in that sick, twisted head of yours... but in reality, I've always been Bella's."

A little more of my heart chipped away from the whole. A tear fell down my cheek.

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_  
_Somewhere along in the bitterness_  
_And I would have stayed up with you all night_  
_Had I known how to save a life_

I didn't answer him. I just continued to stare at my feet, forcing myself NOT to cry. I would not cry over Jacob Black. He wasn't worth it.

"I just figured I'd warn you that you better duck for cover... Bella plans to annihilate your ass after she has this baby."

"I'm not scared of Bella. I'm not fighting for you, Jake. I'm fighting for this innocent baby that didn't _ask_ to be brought into this fucked up world like this!" I exclaimed. "You can say that it's about Bella all you want or that I'm jealous because you chose Bella over me. But that's not it at all. I'm not bitter and I have no reason to be. I'm scared to death and I'm having to do this all alone. So don't even _act_ like I brought it all upon myself. I was told I could NEVER have kids! I think that this baby is a blessing!"

_Let him know that you know best_  
_Cause after all you do know best_  
_Try to slip past his defense_  
_Without granting innocence_  
_Lay down a list of what is wrong_  
_The things you've told him all along_  
_And pray to God he hears you_  
_And pray to God he hears you_

"Like it or not, I know what I'm doing," I told Jacob. "I'm going to raise this baby on my own, whether you want to be there or not. You can go back to your little wifey and your kids and just leave me the hell alone if this baby and I aren't good enough for you. It's wrong that you want to take care of this baby when you know it's just going to tear your family apart, anyway. I've told you that way too many times and you just can't understand it. I don't know why you can't, but you can't."

"Shut up, Leah!" Jacob yelled, trying to cut me off.

"No!" I replied vehemently. "NO!"

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_  
_Somewhere along in the bitterness_  
_And I would have stayed up with you all night_  
_Had I known how to save a life_

I paused, my faint misgivings reverberating through my chest.

"You can be with me and our baby or you can stay with your wife and kids, but you can't have your cake and eat it too," I said quietly.

"Don't make me choose," Jake replied softly. "Because you know it's going to be her. I don't want to hurt you like that, Lee."

I cringed at the nickname.

_As he begins to raise his voice_  
_You lower yours and grant him one last choice_  
_Drive until you lose the road_  
_Or break with the ones you've followed_  
_He will do one of two things_  
_He will admit to everything_  
_Or he'll say he's just not the same_  
_And you'll begin to wonder why you came_

"You're not the same Jacob that you used to be... not before you wound up with Bella Swan," Leah said slowly. "She's changed you."

"You're right. She has. And I'm not the same. I'm better. Improved. Older. Wiser. More mature. I'm everything you're not. I'm not the same person that I used to be," he finished, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm Bella's Jacob now. My whole world revolves around them now... and everything that threatens to harm that gets destroyed. Don't be like Irina. Or you'll meet the same grisly end that she's about to meet."

I was taken aback. Was Jacob threatening to kill me?

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_  
_Somewhere along in the bitterness_  
_And I would have stayed up with you all night_  
_Had I known how to save a life_

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend_  
_Somewhere along in the bitterness_  
_And I would have stayed up with you all night_  
_Had I known how to save a life_  
_How to save a life_  
_How to save a life_

_Jaco_b finally got up and turned away from me. I heard his footsteps across the grass in the yard and before I looked up, I kenw that he was gone. He had left me. Cold and alone... the feeling was much too familiar. But the worst part was knowing that he was right the whole time. I knew I was fighting against him leaving us... saying one thing and really meaning another. But Jacob would never raise our child with me. I knew that. Was I ready for this? Or would I save him a world of hurt by disappearing completely? I didn't know what to do.

**Jacob POV**

Three days later, I received a phone call from Sam. Leah had gone missing. Again. But this time, she hadn't left a trace whatsoever. She hadn't told anyone she had gone. Sam wanted my help to find her. However, I remembered her words, eerily echoing in my thoughts -- _I'm fighting for this innocent baby that didn't ask to be brought into this fucked up world like this!  
_  
She had left.

Seth hadn''t heard from her since before she had left. He said that she had told him that she was going to go on a walk through the woods, to clear her head. We had our wolfpack meeting, trying to figure out a way to launch a counterattack on Irina and her partner. Paul and Embry had handily sketched Irina and her new mate's launching patterns. It was Paul who spoke first.

"Sam, it's going to take her approximately seven feet to get a good enough jump to get her to cross this canyon," he said, pointing to giant gorge that most of the Quileutes tended to avoid. I knew before Paul said anything else that we could phase easily there. No distractions and no worries about other tribe members seeing us, even though it _was_ on Quileute lands. By six o'clock, Leah hadn't returned and I knew that Sam was starting to get anxious. As Leah's Alpha, I couldn't help but feel the same way. We continued working for another hour before Sam got up and wordlessly bounded toward the woods. I took a quick look at Emily, who was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, rocking Aiden. She merely shrugged.

I had no idea where Sam was until midnight, when he called me. I ran across the house to answer the phone, miraculously not breaking anything or hurting myself.

"What?" I croaked groggily into the phone.

"We've found blood," Sam said darkly, sounding choked up, like something was wrong with him. "Lots of it. Jacob, there's no way Leah could have survived this... there's so much of it... and it == it's hers."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, getting up and rubbing my eyes blearily.

"Jacob, I'm trying to tell you that I think Leah's... _dead._"

My mind went blank, as I went into shock.

* * *

_Leah? Dead? What?_

_Oh no!_

_I know it's a been a LONG ASS time since I've updated, but I've had all kinds of crazy stuff going on. Mostly school work. I have to write two four page papers after I publish this. :( Off to work on them now! _

_PLEASE read and review!_

_Much love.  
xoxo_


	23. There's a Thousand Reasons to Shiver

Chapter 23 -- There's a Thousand Reasons to Shiver

* * *

Disclaimer: Obviously, I am NOT Stephenie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be in my current predicament.

A/N: Life is ridiculously crazy right now. I'm writing these between two other papers I have due for class tomorrow. Be thankful. LOL. Love you guys.

* * *

I tore out of the house and phased. Leah. My baby. Dead? No. _NO._

My mind was racing uncontrollably, my anger and raw, hurt, rage slowly filtering its way through the almost impenetrable shock. I ran, the smell of Leah still filling my nose. She had just been here... just a few hours beforehand.

_Leah!_ I thought furiously._ Leah Mae Clearwater!_

The smell became stronger and stronger, until it was unbearable. I stopped and looked at the ground I was standing on and gasped in shock. It was spattered with dark red blood, blood that was also splattered on a tree up ahead. It looked like some sort of animal had staggered through the woods, using trees for support. Each tree had been smeared with the same dark red blood, creating quite a gruesome scene. I looked at one closer and saw a red handprint tainting the bark of a nearby elm. My stomach turned, flipping in on itself. I tightly closed my eyes, surprised that I had any emotion at all. I knew what Sam had meant. No mere animal could have survived this. At some point Leah had phased from wolf to human, but it was anyone's guess as to whether or not she had phased back to a wolf. No one in the pack had heard her thoughts all day... not since around the time Leah and I had had our conversation... argument... whatever you want to call it.

The woods were silent. No sounds, apart from a bird cawing pathetically in a tree. I set to work.

* * *

Two hours later, I still hadn't found Leah. No sign of a body, anything. Sam walked into the woods and eyed me uncomfortably.

_Some animal could have taken off with her body, Jake. It's not healthy for you to be doing this. Bella needs you._

_Bella. _Strangely, I hadn't thought of her much through this mess... I had been focused on the child I had just lost... the child I knew that Leah had taken with her. She wasn't dead. No. She was too strong, too stubborn, and too much of a bitch to die.

_Jake,_ Sam sighed.

_Save it,_ I said, turning away from the scene, my heart wrenching in agony. Leah had won. Finally. She had taken the one thing that mattered most in this mess. My child.

_Do you want us to take Norah, so you can talk to Bella?_ Sam asked slowly, following me.

_Take her to Billy's,_ I instructed him.

We arrived at the house a few minutes later. I felt like a heavy iron had been sat on my chest. I could barely move. I quickly got dressed, feeling sick to my stomach and nauseated with grief.

"Sam, Jacob?" Bella asked, frowning. She was sitting on the porch with Norah. Norah looked up and saw me and got up, her toys tumbling from her lap to the floor.

"Come on, Nore," Sam said gruffly to Norah. "Let's go see your grandpa. I'm sure he's got something good for you over there..."

"Jacob, what's going on?" Bella asked, her warm brown eyes filled with concern. "You look like you've just been kicked in the stomach."

"Would you like to add the literal denotation to that as well?" I asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Bella followed me, frowning.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Leah," I finally spat.

"What the _hell _did she do now?"

"Sam thinks she's dead, Bells," I said slowly, closing my eyes.

Bella's reaction was one of pure shock. "What?" she gaped.

"We know it's her blood near the clearing. There's so much of it..." I broke up, looking down.

"Do you think she just miscarried or something? Or that she was hurt by something?" Bella asked, resting her hand atop of mine on the table top.

"Bella, we had a converation today that really didn't go so well. Some of the things she said... I knew she was hurting and I just blamed her. Sam thinks she might have committed suicide."

Bella's eyes shot open in shock.

"But why?" she asked. "That doesn't make any sense! Why would a perfectly healthy pregnant woman commit suicide?"

"Think about it, Bells. She wanted me and I refused to leave you. Maybe she conned herself into some sort of fantasy and the pain of knowing that it was never going to happen simply became too much for her to bear. I don't know if we'll ever know. I was out in the woods for two hours looking for her body... you know Sue and Charlie are going to be devastated... and _Seth..._" The realization that Seth had no idea about his sister's depression or disappearance sent a lightining bolt up my back.

"Bells, I've got to go," I said, immediately going into autopilot.

Bella just smiled at me sadly.

"Jacob," she said softly.

"What?" I asked her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I've missed you.... it seems like you're always gone. Just promise that you'll come back to me."

Her words crushed my already cracked heart and I pulled her up out of the chair and close to me, pressing my lips to hers.

"Isabella Black, I love you," I told her sincerely. Her eyes grew misty and watery and I had to look away from her. I felt guilty. She was about to have our son and I had been too focused on everything else that was going on with Leah to even really pay attention to that fact. Leah had taken too much from me and had nearly broken my marriage to the best thing that had ever happened to me. Although I missed the old Leah, the one who had first joined my pack, I did not relish the fact that the new one had died... mostly because I had lost a child. And part of me hoped that Leah could have been.... rehabilitated. I did not want to tell Leah's family that she had died and I didn't want to tell them why. I was afraid that they'd blame me.

"I'm going to go to Sam and Emily's," Bella said, sighing. "Come there when you get back?" she asked.

"I'll escort you," I offered, extending my arm to her. She smiled brilliantly.

* * *

I arrived at the Swan residence around an hour later.

"Hey, Jake!" Charlie said, coming from around the back of his cruiser. "How's things going?"

"With Bella and Norah?" I asked, trying to forget the reason I had come for just a second. "Fine!"

"That's great. Great to see you. Why didn't the girls come?" he asked, frowning.

"I actually needed to talk to Sue and Seth," I said, my gloomy demeanor returning once more.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You look like you just saw someone die."

"I didn't _see _someone die," I said. "But you're right. Someone _has _died." The more I said it, the truer it seemed to be. I wasn't sure if this was me coming to terms with what had happened or not.

Charlie's expression tightened and he looked toward the house. "Come on," he said gruflly.

We came in the front door, wiping our feet off on the doormat. "Sue?" Charlie called.

"Yes, dear?" Sue asked, carrying a large plate of pasta. "Oh, hello, Jacob. What brings you here?"

Sue looked so happy. How could I possibly tell her that her only daughter, her _beloved_ daughter, was gone?

"Is Seth around?"

"I'm right here," Seth said, coming down the stairs.

"We need to talk," I said seriously. "Something bad has happened."

"Leah should be here for this," Sue said. "If it concerns the reservation..."

I was shaking by this point.

"Jake... what's wrong?" Seth asked, alarmed.

"Sue, it seems that Leah was attacked this morning. And we don't know by what, but she's missing. And there is a big scene in the woods that looks like someone was possibly... killed. Sam is leading some of the guys on a search to see if they can find her. I'm so sorry," I said, breaking down.

Sue didn't move. She didn't flinch.

Seth, however, immediately darted up the stairs.

"Seth!" I called.

I ran upstairs after him.

"Seth!"

"Shut UP, JACOB!" he screamed. I forced the door open and pulled him away from his bed.

"Seth!" I said, not realizing that my own tears were now falling freely.

"It's all your fault! If you wouldn't have slept with her! If she hadn't gotten pregnant with YOUR kid! If -- if you would have just shown her HALF the love she had for you!" Seth was rambling. "All Leah ever did was love you and you just went and let her down and broke her heart and acted like it didn't matter! I bet you're just glad she's gone! Just so you can run back to your wife and not take ANY responsibility!"

I turned around and walked out of the room, shaking. I hadn't been this close to phasing in a long time. I rushed out the door, barely taking in Sue and Charlie's stunned faces. Leah was still fighting and she wasn't even here. Her death wish had been to make my life as miserable as possible. And she was succeeding.

I arrived back at the house and turned on the radio, trying to clear my thoughts. And of course, the worst song ever had to be playing. I threw the radio across the room, where it smashed on the wall, breaking into pieces. I looked up and saw Bella standing at the bedroom door. I didn't know she had come back.

"Jacob," she said softly. She sat down on the bed and I couldn't help but cry, resting my head on her knees, letting all of the anger and frustration out.

But that stupid song was stuck in my head...

_So you know how much I need you_  
_But you never even see me, do you?_  
_And is this my final chance of getting you?_

_And on and on_  
_From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep_  
_I'll be there by your side; just you try and stop me_  
_I'll be waiting in line, just to see if you care, if you care..._

Had I really been that awful to Leah?

And was it really horrible to say that I didn't miss HER at all? That I was only mad at her for taking my child with her?

And it wasn't even MY child. It was OUR child. Not conceived in love, much like Norah. Norah had been conceived while Bella was still in love with Edward. This baby had been conceived while I was married to the love of my life... it was almost as if the roles had been reversed... an almost what-would-have-happened-if-Bella-would-have-stayed-with-Edweird...

Perhaps it wasn't until the baby was gone that I knew I wanted it...

I shivered, not from cold, but from the pure emotion rattling out of me. Bella held me closely, comforting me.

* * *

_Another chapter. Woot! I'm on a roll... and I still need to type those stupid papers! It's gonna be a loooonnnnnggg night._

_Review? Make me happy please. :P_

_Much love.  
xoxo_


	24. That's What You Get When You Hurt Bella

Chapter 24 -- That's What You Get When You Hurt Bella

* * *

Disclaimer: I like writing, but unfortunately, my characters never seem to stick. :( Hmph. Therefore, I do not own Twilight, but I DO like playing with Stephenie's creation. hehe.

A/N: I can't wait to get started on Part III of this series. Therefore, I'm trying to wrap up all of the loose ends. :)

* * *

Suddenly, the sweet burning smell of a vampire filled my nose and I sat up in the bed, suddenly.

"What's going on?" Bella asked, looking at me in alarm.

"Bella!" a familiar voice called down the hallway. Alice. A knock sounded at the door and I got out of bed and ripped it open. Alice pushed me aside and ran over to Bella. "Thank God, you're okay." Her voice was full of relief.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, shaking her head as Alice pulled her into a tight hug.

"Irina. She was planning on attacking. And then everything just sort of disappeared."

I slowly put together what Alice had said and quickly inferred.

"Could Irina have killed her?" I asked Bella.

"Killed who?" Alice asked, frowning. She quickly glanced between Bella and me in bewilderment.

"Leah was murdered in the woods," Bella said. "Or at least we think she was."

"When did you last see Irina?" I asked Alice.

"She quickly changed her mind yesterday," Alice said. "She did that three or four times while she was in Seattle and suddenly, she blipped off my radar completely. I saw her south of La Push last night and then I haven't seen her since. We haven't been able to find her."

Bella gasped.

"What?" she gaped.

"You don't think Irina got a hold of Leah?" I asked her, biting my bottom lip.

"It would make sense... as to why Leah couldn't get away..." Bella trailed off.

"I'll be right back," I said. "Alice, stay here and _don't_ move. I need to talk to Sam."

Alice nodded and took a seat on the bed. I kissed Bella swiftly on the lips and headed to Sam and Emily's once more.

* * *

Emily was distraught. She had a vacant expression on her face and wouldn't tear her gaze away from the kitchen window toward the woods.

"Ems," I said, walking in. I quickly gave her a hug. She didn't return the gesture. She merely stood in front of the window, clutching her newborn son to her chest. I looked across the room and saw Sam sitting with Norah and Levi.

"Jake," Sam said slowly, clearing his throat. "Emily's been like that since you left." He shook his head and I could tell he was worried. "She's in shock," he whispered. "And I think she feels guilty, for some reason."

I sighed.

"Alice Cullen is here," I said. Sam's eyes flashed toward me, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

"She says she saw Irina... hanging around, acting suspicious, planning something, but she couldn't figure out just what. But we know something else had to have killed Leah... I mean, she was too strong for anything else to have done it."

"Are you saying Irina killed Leah?" Sam hissed. "On La Push grounds?"

"Does that area really belong to La Push?" I countered. "I'm not sure. I know Bella and Edward went there a few times..." I trailed off.

Sam didn't answer.

I heard a loud crash and a high pitched, blood-curdling scream. Emily's eyes opened widely and looked toward our house, almost visible through the treeline.

"Bella..." she breathed.

My heart froze.

I immediately ran out of the house and phased in mid-air, running as fast as I could toward the house. Irina's white blonde hair flew through the air, a small pixie vampire standing in front of the door.

"You know Edward would kill you for this!" she said sharply, giving Irina a death glare.

_Bella, _I thought, fearing the worst.

Irina used her remaining hand to swipe her hair out of her face. "Jansen will be here soon, you little bitch," she hissed. "Take up for the dog-lover and these filthy, mangy mutts and you'll go down right with them. I already exterminated one of the vile things," she said, smiling. "Oh, and look here's another one!" she said, looking right at me.

"Jake, no!" I heard Bella groan. She sounded like she was in pain. I heard a loud screeching sound and both Irina and I looked over to see a dark-haired vampire circling with Sam on the other side of the house. He was missing a few fingers.

_Nearly got him, _Sam thought, growling and snapping at the vampire.

"Jan, it's okay," Irina said. "It's just a little doggie..."

"How long have you been lying to him about the werewolves?" Alice snapped. "You don't even know how many of them there are!"

_We're on our way,_ I heard Quil say. _Embry's just left his mom at the lodge._

_Hurry up!_ I groaned. I saw one of Bella's feet on the floor in the doorway. My stomach turned anxiously. Was she hurt? What was going on?

I jumped, barely hitting Irina. She lost her balance, but quickly regained it and turned her attention to me.

"What do you think you're doing, you filthy beast?" she said menacingly. She stepped toward me and I sidestepped her, leading her in a circle, just as Sam was doing. I heard Sam snap again, the familiar screeching sound filling the air.

_Got part of an arm, _Sam growled. I could hear a hint of pride and excitement in his voice.

"How many others are with you, Irina?" Alice asked. "Just the one?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Irina hissed.

"But you're not as smart as Victoria," Alice replied, glaring at her. "You copied a lot of what she did, but it looks like it was rather botched. You managed to kill a werewolf. Must have been good practice for you. Looks like you might need it, considering you haven't figured out what you're doing yet. And since you already lost an arm..."

Alice's words were irritating Irina. I could tell. But she wouldn't take her eyes off of me.

"Shut up, Alice," Bella groaned. I could hear her panting. She moaned and I cringed. She really must be hurt.

"Breathe, Bella," Alice said. "It's going to be okay." She took another step away from Bella and I panicked.

Was there blood? How bad was it? Had Irina already sunken her fangs into my wife?

I snapped forward and sank my teeth into Irina's stone leg. She howled and kicked at me, knocking me in the head with her foot. My vision swum. Suddenly, Quil and Embry appeared from out of nowhere, taking my place. Irina gasped.

"How many are there?" she asked Alice.

"More than enough to finish you off," Alice grinned spitefully.

My head was pounding. Sam snapped forward and took off part of Jansen's leg.

"Irina, love!" he crowed. "There's so many of them! Help me!"

"I... can't..." Irina said, trying to keep her eyes on the three of us. She was getting confused.

Sam lunged forward and knocked Jansen to the ground, ripping into his side and pulling his other arm off. He screamed loudly, causing Kim and Rachel to come out of the house in confusion. Rachel held my niece, Sarah, up to her chest protectively and gasped at the scene in shock.

Paul pulled the three of them back inside as Jansen's head rolled toward the woods.

Irina's eyes rolled back into her head in anger. She growled at me and lunged, swiping me across the face with her nails. "You filthy, mangy dogs! Look at what you've done!"

"And you're soon to follow," Embry said, lunging at her. Quil followed suit and they pinned her down as I ripped her head from her body. Sam had started a fire and I quickly dismembered Irina, tossing various body parts into the fire.

"Make sure they're burned," I instructed Quil and Embry before running back into the house. Alice followed me.

"She's having the baby," Alice murmured.

"But he's early!" I protested.

"Only by two weeks or so," Bella groaned. She panted and closed her eyes. "It hurts... so bad."

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked quickly.

"I called him. He should be here any minute," Alice said.

"Irina's gone," I told Bella. "We're all safe."

Her response was one of shock as her water broke and gushed over the hardwood floor.

"Oh my god," Alice breathed.

"We're here all over again," I said, looking at her. "Just like with Norah."

"Except a much different location," Bella grimaced. "Please Jake, please don't make me have him here!"

"Can we move her?" I asked Alice.

"I don't think so," Alice said, shaking her head. "Maybe to the bathtub? The warm water might ease some of the pain a bit."

"Do you want to try that?" I asked her, taking her hand.

She nodded.

Sam came into the living room and saw Alice and I lifting Bella. His eyes betrayed his shock.

"Is she hurt?" he asked, his jaw dropped. "Did Irina get a hold of her?"

"No," Alice said quickly. "Jake left and Irina took her chance to move. I was already here, so he couldn't tell that another vampire was in the vicinity. So, when he left to go ask you something, she took her chance and attacked. She came through the back door while I was distracted and Bella was getting out of the bed and I heard her scream. I ran into the bedroom, but she shoved her across the room and threw her through the hallway. She slammed her into the glass cabinet in the living room. I pushed Irina out of the house, but I knew that the other one had to be around here somewhere, so I didn't want to turn my back... I threw her out as Jacob was coming down the road."

"Somehow, the contractions started," Bella breathed, as we sat her into the bathtub and I ran the water. "I don't know why..."

I ripped her shorts off of her hips and pulled her shirt up slightly, revealing her large, rounded belly.

"Bella, I love you so much," I whispered in her ear, kissing her on the lips.

"I know, Jake," Bella said, closing her eyes.

Dr. Fang came into the bathroom, pushing Alice aside.

"Bella, it's Carlisle. Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her in shock.

"I'm fi--" she winced, breaking off her reply. She kept breathing through yet another contraction.

"How far apart are they?" he asked me.

"I don't know," I replied. "I just got back here. I was in a huge fight with Irina and her partner. We killed them both. Irina attacked Bella," I explained. "I guess that caused her to go into labor."

"Bella, I'm going to check you," Dr. Fang said, plunging a hand into the water. A few seconds later, he looked at me with a grim look on his face. "She's already six centimeters. Has her water already broken?"

"Yes," I replied, as Bella entwined her fingers into mine.

"How long was the fight and what did she do to her?" Dr. Fang asked.

"I don't know exactly what happened because I wasn't here. Alice was. She said that she pushed her into the glass cabinet in the living room," I replied.

"I saw it when I came in. Bells, I need you to lean up," he said. Bella shook her head and leaned forward clumsily. Dr. Fang raised her shirt up to reveal long cuts and pieces of glass embedded into her back.

"It hurts..." Bella mumbled.

"I know, honey," I told her. "But it's all going to be better soon," I said. "We're going to have a son in a few short hours."

Bella gasped as Dr. Fang used a pair of tweezers to pull out of few pieces.

"Bella, did you hit your head?" Dr. Fang asked her.

"I... don't... remember," Bella said lucidly. Dr. Fang grimaced and looked over at me.

"I don't think Bella is a candidate for a home birth. Not a water birth either. We're going to have to rush her to the hospital immediately. I'm not sure if she has a concussion and I can't get those pieces of glass out of her back while she's in labor because she won't sit still through it all. I need to give her an epidural, but I don't have everything with me. During the epidural, I'll be able to pull the pieces of glass out of her back as well. But we're running out of time. She's progressing so quickly... and there's no guarantee this far along if the epidural will even work."

I nodded blankly. "What do I need to do?"

"We're going to put Bella in the Hummer. I drove it today. I want you to stay in the back with her. Alice will drive and I'll try to pull out as much as I can. Alice?"

"Yes?" Alice said, appearing in the hallway.

"I need you and Jacob to dress Bella and put her in the truck. I'm going to call the ER and let them know that we'll be there within ten minutes."

"Okay," Alice said.

I looked over at Bella and bit my bottom lip. I was scared. She lightly squeezed my hand. Alice brought in a few clothes for Bella and we quickly dressed her in pants with Juicy Couture written on the backside and a shirt that said "Mom 2 B." I looked over at Alice and shook my head.

"She's going to kill you when she sees what you put her in."

"I know," Alice replied. "But it's totally going to be worth it." She winked at me as I picked Bella up and we headed toward the Hummer.

* * *

_So the goal is to finish up this story soon so I can get started on Part III... I've been wanting to write it for a while and it's got me allllll excited. haha. :) Hope you guys liked this chapter (I liked writing about Irina's demise!) and PLEASE read and review! I feel like I"m spoiling you guys!_

_Much love.  
xoxo_


	25. Rowan Jude Black

Chapter 25 -- Rowan Jude Black

* * *

Disclaimer: I like writing, but unfortunately, my characters never seem to stick. :( Hmph. Therefore, I do not own Twilight, but I DO like playing with Stephenie's creation. hehe.

A/N: I can't wait to get started on Part III of this series. Therefore, I'm trying to wrap up all of the loose ends. :)

* * *

I awoke to the sharp, stabbing pain that felt like needles in my back, accompanied by an unbearable squeezing sensation in my belly. My head was throbbing and I was dizzy. I tried to sit up, but Jacob pushed me back down.

"Bells, honey, _please_ lay back down," he said. I could hear the emotion in his voice -- he sounded strangled and choked up.

"Jake -- " I slurred, trying to comfort him.

"Bella, I need you to face the seat, so I can reach your back," Carlisle said, frowning. I slowly rolled over, wincing as the needle-like pain grew worse in my back. Suddenly, I felt a painful, burning sensation and I winced my eyes shut in pain. It was awful, like bee stings accompanied by labor.

_Labor_, I remembered as the car went over another thump somewhere in the road. I was having a baby. And Irina... I tried to remember what had happened, but I was too exhausted. Carlisle picked a few more glass shards out of my back and I cried out in pain.

"Bells, I'm here," Jacob said, lending his hand for me to hold onto. Another contraction rocked through me and I cried, shaking through the whole thing. Jacob kissed my hand, smoothing my damp hair out of my now sweaty face.

"How much further do we have to go?" Jacob asked the driver impatiently.

"We'll be there in about five minutes," a voice that resembled Alice piped up from the front seat.

"Alice?" I mumbled. "When did she get here?" I had no clue as to why I was in a truck and where this sharp, burning, stinging pain was coming from. I felt like I was being stabbed in the back as Carlisle leaned down and pulled out more of the stingy things. I was trembling with the pain and trepidation of everything that was going on. My confusion made everything even scarier.

I felt someone pull down my pants and I instinctively drew my legs up to my chest. I screamed aloud in pain, as the burning sensation in my back worsened.

"Bella! Bella... Bells..." Jacob hushed me. "It's okay, it's fine... Carlisle just needs to make sure we have enough time to get you to the hospital. You don't want to have the baby in the car, do you?"

"If it ends the pain, then I'll do whatever I need to!" I panted. I felt Carlisle push up on the baby's head.

"Oh, damn," he hissed. "Alice, pull over," he snapped.

"What?" Jacob said in alarm. "What's going on?"

"The baby's head is almost crowning. We can't wait anymore. The risk of complications is too high. This baby wants out _now_."

"How the hell did she go from six centimeters to fully dialated that fast?" Jacob said, astounded.

"Her first delivery went quicker than most do. Besides, Bella was three centimeters dilated for about three weeks. Didn't she tell you?" he asked, frowning.

"No," I heard Jacob murmur. I would explain to him later. He had been so busy... I didn't want him to worry... My thoughts were cut off with the unbearable urge to push.

"Bella, give me one small push," Carlisle instructed.

I responded, pulling my head into my chest. _One, two, three --_

I immediately stopped, screaming. It felt like the glass in my lower back was cutting me open. I burst into tears, shaking my head.

"I can't, I can't!" I cried, tightly closing my eyes.

"Bella, you have to," Carlisle said. "Your baby needs to come out. He's ready. If he doesn't come out soon, I'm going to have to _pull _him out and I don't think you want me to have to do that."

I nodded, looking toward Jacob, who came up behind me and supported my shoulders and head in the uncomfortable seat.

"Come on, Bella. Rowan needs you."

I nodded lucidly, barely aware of what everyone was saying. I pushed.

A different sort of burning sensation filled my lower pelvis and I screamed out in pain once more.

"Come on, Bella!" Carlisle yelled above my screams.

I tucked my head in and gave the biggest push I could. I looked up into Jacob's face and tears were welled up in his eyes.

"One more push, Bella, and his head will be out. You can do this!" Carlisle said enthusiastically.

"You're the strongest woman, I know, Bella. One more push, honey," Jacob said. He bit his bottom lip and looked at me attentively. "The sooner you push, the sooner this will all be over and the sooner Rowan will be in your arms. I know you can do this," he said softly, kissing me on the cheek and rubbing my hair out of my eyes.

I leaned down, ignoring the stabbing pains in my back and the burning, tearing sensation caused by the pushing and gave one last push. I kept pushing and didn't let up, trying to block out all of the pain.

I felt him slide out into Carlisle's arms.

"It's a boy!" Carlisle said, grinning. He placed him on my stomach, cleaning him off as best as he could. The baby wasn't exactly crying, but he wasn't silent either. He was making noises that vaguely resembled mewling. I heard the driver's door slam shut and I knew that Alice had temporarily vacated the vehicle.

"Bella, look at him," Jacob whispered in my ear, looking over at the baby in awe. "He's absolutely perfect."

"He's a little small. I think your due date might have been off a bit. He looks like he could be as many as four weeks early." He placed a makeshift scale on the hook next to the window and sat the baby in it.

"Five pounds, two ounces," he said. "Nineteen inches long. Again, a little small. But other than that, he seems fine. I would place his APGAR at around an eight."

He wrapped Rowan up in a blanket and placed him in my arms. I leaned back into Jacob's arms, trying to place as little pressure on my back as I possibly could. Jacob wrapped his arms around us protectively.

"Rowan," he said, looking down at our son. I took in his features for the first time -- Jacob's brown eyes, already full of mischief, his nose, his full lips... our son was the spitting image of his father. Except for his slightly lighter skin... the same color as his sister's. I brushed a finger across his spikey hair, realizing that it was a dark brown like mine, not exactly black, but a chestnut color. I pouted.

"What?" Jacob asked, looking down at me.

"He doesn't have your hair," I laughed. "I wanted him to."

"Yours is equally beautiful," Jacob whispered in my ear. "Besides, he already looks too much like me."

I lightly smacked him as I heard sirens in the distance. The front door opened.

"The ambulance is nearly here," Alice said. "And Bella, I better get to see that baby before you guys get in that thing."

Jacob and I laughed.

* * *

Rowan and I spent the next few hours being poked and prodded at the hospital. They gave the baby all of his booster shots and immunizations, taking special care to monitor his lungs for any possible developmental delays due to prematurity. Carlisle had mentioned that we seemed to be very lucky for as small as our baby was, not to have had any problem with him or his delivery. I was thankful.

They finished dissecting my condition and cleaned the wounds on my back, pulling the glass out of them. I won't go into gruesome detail, but it hurt like hell. It took them nearly two hours. Finally, they moved me into the maternity ward and Jacob and I finally got to see our son again.

"He's perfect," Jacob said, sitting across from us on the bed, looking at him.

"He is," I agreed. "But we still haven't picked out a middle name."

Jacob frowned, looking directly at the baby for a few seconds.

"Well, he looks a lot like me, you said..." he trailed off.

"We could name him after you," I suggested. "Rowan Jacob Black?"

He shook his head. "I want him to have his own idenitity... not mine. Could we use Jude? That name that you picked out a while back, when we were suggesting names for him? It's close enough to both my name and Norah's name. I like it."

I frowned for a second. "Rowan Jude Black?" I asked, tasting it on my tongue. I repeated it to myself several times, varying the inflections in my voice.

I finally looked back up at Jacob. "I think you've just named our son,"I said, a huge grin spreading across my face. I yawned and handed the baby back to Jacob. "I think I need some sleep... I am _so _tired..." I yawned, raising my arms over my head and stretching, trying to not pull at my stitches. Jacob lifted Rowan out of my arms and sat at the end of the bed with him as I dozed off.

A few minutes later, or it seemed to me, the door to our room swung open and someone came storming into the room.

"Bella!"

My eyes shot open and I saw Edward standing in front of the doorway, looking at me with a wild expression on his face.

"What?" I mumbled.

"Are you okay? Alice just came back to the house and Carlisle told me not to follow him up to the reservation..." he trailed off, trying to get answers.

"You better _not _come up to my reservation," Jacob growled, holding Rowan up to his chest protectively. "For any reason. The only two bl -- vampires -- allowed there are Alice and D -- Carlisle," he snapped. "And having them there causes enough problems as is."

"I think you have enough problems on your own that me coming up there wouldn't cause any more harm," Edward snapped.

"Shut -- "

"Will you two _please_ stop arguing?" I begged. "What do you want Edward?"

"Alice said that you were hurt... that Irina attacked. I told her not to. I warned her..." he trailed off helplessly. "I met her in Seattle and told her that if she did, there would be vile repercussions on her part and retaliation not only on behalf of the wolfpack, but from us as well."

"Yeah, well, looks like you didn't get to serve those repercussions. Irina is dead," Jacob said shortly. I could hear a bit of smugness and triumph in his voice.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, ignoring Jacob, who simply rolled his eyes. I could see the irritation coursing through him.

"Let's see... I was thrown into a china cabinet, had glass embedded into my back, went into early labor, had a baby without any sort of medication whatsoever, and had the glass pulled out of my back with tweezers with no localized pain meds at all." I could see the horror in Edward's eyes. "Exactly."

"But I told her -- " he gaped.

"Obviously, that wasn't good enough," I shrugged. "We all knew she wasn't going to stop until I was dead or she was. That was painfully apparent the other times she attacked."

Edward winced, an uncomfortable expression on his all-too-handsome face.

"What's the baby's name?" he asked, changing the subject and looking over at Rowan, who was sleeping in Jacob's arms.

"Rowan. Rowan Jude Black," I said, smiling at Jacob.

"So, then..." Edward trailed off.

"What?" I asked him.

"I guess I better go," he sighed. "It's extremely obvious that you have everything that you've ever wanted," he said, looking from me to Jacob and back. "He really _will_ keep you safe. I don't know how I could have ever doubted that before."

Edward turned around and walked out of the room. I looked over at Jacob and smiled in exhaustion.

Jacob came over and sat next to me on the bed, so I could get a closer look at our baby's sleeping form.

"So when does Norah get to see her baby brother?" he asked slowly.

"Tomorrow," I yawned. "I'm too tired today," I said honestly. It had been a _long _day.

* * *

_Yay! Rowan Jude is here! :)_

_I did like the beginning of this chapter. I thought it was action-packed and all. I thought Norah's birth was a little bit better written, but the emotions surrounding it were a little more potent and easier to write... I wanted this one to be different because Norah and Rowan are going to be completely different people in Part III. :)_

_Please read and review!_

_Much love._  
_xoxo_


	26. Ten Reasons to Love Jacob Black

Chapter 26 -- Ten Reasons to Love Jacob Black

* * *

Disclaimer: I've said this 25 other times and I don't know how else to say it. So this time, I'm not going to. :P

A/N: Maybe onnnnneee more chapter after this. I'm getting antsy. haha. :)

* * *

I fell in love with Jacob Black when I least expected it. I fell hard. I fell fast. And when I fell, it was irrevocably. I knew when I married Jacob that there was almost nothing that could separate us. And in the space of a single year, had gone through more than what most couples go through in a lifetime. A pregnancy, a scandalous bitch who was dead set on taking him from me, a murderous vampire who would never give up, and constant fear and worry. It seemed that after Rowan was born, things finally settled back down right where they were supposed to be. Granted, I never wanted Leah to die, but in the end, I didn't have to put up with my husband's "love child of sorts" with another woman. Although I knew better than to admit it to Jacob's face, I was slightly relieved, although I felt horrible for feeling that way. I knew that I was going to have my husband for forever and that there was absolutely nothing that could take him away from me and our children. My worries were completely irrational.

Charlie, Billy, and Norah arrived in our room early the next morning. The baby had spent the night in the nursery, dealing with a few minor health screenings due to his prematurity and quick delivery. I was grateful for the sleep. The day before had been absolutely crazy. Charlie said that Sue and Seth were planning a small memorial service for Leah. I was still in shock that she had died. I mean, the two of us obviously had problems and I didn't like her at all, but I never wanted her to _die_. Jacob was quiet for most of the night. He hadn't said anything about Leah or their baby or the fact that they had died. I wasn't really sure what to say to him, so I didn't press the issue.

Charlie was quiet for most of the time he was there. When the nurse showed up, she placed Rowan in my arms and Jake smiled at the baby, lightly touching his face.

"Hey buddy," he said, grinning at the baby.

"What's his name again?" Charlie asked, bouncing Norah on his knee.

"Rowan Jude," I said, not taking my eyes off of him.

"Hey, Norah," Jake said, getting down to his knees in front of her. "Do you want to see your baby brother?"

Norah's eyes got really big and her head went back toward Charlie's chest.

"He's here?" she asked, her jaw dropping. She looked around the room.

"I don't see a baby," she said, looking over at Billy.

"Look," Charlie whispered in her ear, pointing toward me. Norah got off of his knee and walked over to the edge of the bed, getting up on her tip toes.

"Baby?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Jake, put her up here," I told him, a slight smile playing around my lips. I couldn't hide it. I wanted to see her reaction. I had dreamed about this moment.

"Woe-wen..." Norah murmured, placing her hand on his head lightly, almost petting him.

"Norah Jane, he's not a dog," Charlie laughed.

"Well, not yet," Jacob whispered in my ear.

I hid my laughter, turning to see his eyes sparkling with mirth. I leaned in and kissed him quickly. He seemed slightly shocked.

Norah laughed, diverting my attention from my husband to our two children. Rowan had Norah's finger in his grip, not letting go.

"See, baby, he likes you," Jacob said, ruffling Norah's hair. She immediately patted it back down, giving her daddy the evil eye.

"Okay, Miss Priss," I said, laughing.

"So, do I get a chance to hold my grandson?" Billy asked impatiently. "I mean, I already have two granddaughters and one grandson... but this one will be a leader, he will."

"Well, the others will certainly be, too," Charlie said, frowning as Jacob sat Rowan in Billy's arms.

"Yeah," Jacob said, not really paying any attention.

"He really does look like you. Even more than Norah does," Charlie said, looking over at the baby.

"Yeah, I know," Jacob said, his chest puffing out proudly.

"He has my hair," I volunteered.

"That he does," Billy agreed. "It's not as dark as what Norah's was. And it looks like it might have a bit of a curl to it."

"A little bit of a wave," Charlie agreed.

"But he's just sleeping like a rock," Billy laughed.

"Well, we all know Jacob," I sighed. "He's nearly impossible to wake up."

"Betcha he's gonna have a stubborn streak, too!" Billy laughed.

"Well, if he's related to Norah, then you KNOW that's gonna happen..." I sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Charlie asked me. "Do you need anything?"

"Not really," I said, shrugging. "My back is killing me, of course. But that's about it. They're giving me lots of painkillers and stuff for it."

"You're still having pain from the delivery, then?" Charlie said, frowning. "Dr. Cullen mentioned that the baby was almost born in the car. I swear, that doctor has more skills than any other doctor at this hospital. Forks sure is lucky to have him."

I nodded, realizing that I had momentarily forgotten that Charlie didn't know about the broken china cabinet and the glass that had been embedded in my back.

"Actually, he _was _born in the car," Jacob corrected Charlie. They got an ambulance together and they kept him last night, just for observation in the nursery."

"Not that I minded," I said. "I was exhausted."

"I bet!" Charlie said, looking shocked.

"It's all good now, though," Jacob said, trying to reassure him.

"Yeah..." Charlie said, sighing. "It just scares me. Sue just lost her only daughter... anything that threatens to do the same to you scares me, Bells," he added quickly, hiding the wetness threatening to spill over onto his cheek.

"I was safe the entire time," I reassured him. "Jacob wouldn't have let anything happen to me," I hushed him, looking over at Norah, who was poking and prodding at her new baby brother, oblivious to the turn the conversation had taken.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed, getting up and taking the baby from Billy and placing her back in Jacob's arms. "Billy, I think we need to get going. There's still plans to be made concerning... everything else."

I knew what everything else must mean... funeral arrangements and such.

"When is the memorial going to be?" I asked Charlie.

"Sue wants you and Jacob to be able to come, so she's going to have it down at the reservation. You don't have to stay for the whole thing... I understand not wanting to bring the baby out, what with him being premature and all. I would say probably two days after you go home. So what... four days from now? That would make it Sunday. Probably sometime Sunday morning."

Jacob nodded. I knew the talk of memorial services for him and his unborn child didn't strike him quite right. He looked out the window while Charlie answered the question.

"Thanks, Dad," I said. "And I'm sorry for your loss."

"As are we," Charlie replied, sighing. "And for yours, too, Jacob."

Jacob didn't look back at Charlie. He simply nodded and gruffly acknowledge appreciation, looking down at Rowan, who was still fast asleep.

Charlie came over and gave me a tight one-armed hug, being careful not to pull on my bandages. He reached for Norah, who gave the baby a quick kiss on his head and bounced out the door with the promise of ice cream, waving enthusiastically at me.

"Bye, Mommy!" she called. I grinned at her and waved.

Charlie strolled Billy out the door and when the two were safely gone, I turned to Jacob.

"Honey, are you okay?" I asked him.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," I said, reaching for the baby. Jacob brought him to me and I sat him in the incubator. "You did lose a child," I added, turning to face him. "As much as I didn't like Leah, I can still sympathize to that fact."

"You're too good for me, Bella. You always have been," he sighed.

"Not always," I said, shrugging. "When I was pregnant with Norah, I put you through a whole hell of a lot of grief. A relationship is give and take. Sure, you might have taken more at certain times, but I also made some mistakes along the line. I married a vampire. What did you do? Get drugged? It's not like you actively cheated on me. Once I really found out what happened, forgiving you wasn't really that hard."

Jacob sighed. "Still."

"Still nothing," I replied simply.

Jacob sighed helplessly and leaned in and kissed me.

I added more pressure and intensity to the kiss, holding his face with both of my hands and pulling him closer to me. Jacob rested one of his knees on the bed and lightly leaned over top of me, holding me. He buried his face into my shoulder, trying to hide his emotions.

"Jake, if you need to cry, then you can. No one told you that you can't grieve. I mean, the whole thing was messed up. You never had a chance to love that baby," I said, my own voice cracking in spite of myself.

Jacob shook briefly before regaining control of his emotions.

"It's fine, Bella," he sighed, looking at me directly in the eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I answered, searching his eyes for some sort of an answer to an unspoken question.

"And from here on out, we're not going to have any problems. I won't put myself in that kind of vulnerable position again. I won't risk my family for it, Bella. You and the kids are my life and always will be."

I smiled at Jacob and kissed him once more. He curled onto the tiny hospital bed with me and held me as we fell asleep.

When I awoke, there was a piece of paper on my bedside, next to my dinner. I opened it up and saw a scratchy list.

**_Ten Reasons Why I Love Isabella Marie Black_**

**1. She is clumsy to a fault.**

**2. She loves me unconditionally.**

**3. When she's embarrassed, her whole face turns the most beautiful crimson color I've ever seen.**

**4. She made mud pies for me when we were little and makes REAL pies for me now.**

**5. She makes me a better person.**

**6. She's a complete and total clown who makes each day a unique one that I can't wait to spend with her.**

**7. She agreed to marry me. I doubt anyone else would have.**

**8. She then gave me TWO children... the greatest gifts in the world.**

**9. I had to fight to win her... there's always fun in a chase.**

**10. I never knew what real love was until I met her. She opened my eyes to the person I had the potential to be.**

**If you've seen Bella Black, you should give this to her and let her know her husband loves her.**

**-- Jacob**

* * *

_One more chapter! And then Jacob's Promise is done! I'm so nervous! I hope I make the next chapter everything you guys have ever hoped for! Thanks for reading my story! This trilogy has truly become the best thing I have ever written and I have enjoyed every last moment with you along the way!_

_Please read and review!_

_Much love._  
_xoxo_


	27. Why Isn't Her Memoria Like Cobain's?

Chapter 27 - Why Isn't Her Memoria Like Cobain's?

* * *

**A/N: **Here's the finale for you guys! Eeep!

* * *

Bittersweet. That was the feeling the next three days left on my heart. The fact that I was able to finally bring my wife and son home was amazing. I loved holding him and spending time with him and watching him do the simplest things. However, the knowledge that a memorial service mourning one of my dearest friends was quickly approaching drew the happiness of even the best of moments.

I was torn. Hurt. Crushed. _Confused._

Leah had done a lot of stupid things in the past few months. Everyone knew that. However, I never wanted something to happen to her... or our child. Although I wasn't _in_ love with Leah, I loved her. She was my beta... and my friend. Regardless of the stupidity of the decisions she had made that had encompassed our lives. I knew that I would never forget her... or the life that she had created. Not only did I mourn for my friend, but I mourned for my child. And as happy as I was with my wife and our two children, I couldn't forget the fact that Leah and our baby had died. And although Irina was dead and gone, I hated her, too. I knew she had had something to do with Leah's death and I couldn't stand knowing that she had suffered before the end came.

"Jake," Bella said, coming up behind me and wrapping her arms around me. I was standing in the kitchen, staring out the window toward the little shed that had once been Leah's home. My fists were clenched tightly and I was shaking, holding back emotion. Bella pressed her lips into the middle of my back, trying to calm me back down.

"Jake, it's okay," she crooned.

"It's not," I said, sighing. "It's really not."

"I know you're hurting, honey. And I wish there was something I could do about it... but there's not," she said, sighing heavily. "But I need you. Norah needs you. Rowan needs you."

"I am perfectly aware of what everyone needs from me," I said coolly. "But what you fail to understand is that I need - " I broke off, clenching my jaw.

"You need what? Leah to come back from the dead? Jake, you know that's not going to happen," she said sadly.

"That's not what I was going to say," I snapped. "I need you, Bella," I said simply, my voice giving way to the tides of emotion threatening to drown me.

"I'm here," she said helplessly. "I promise you, no matter what happens, that I will always be here. And so will Norah and Rowan."

I could only nod, unable to feel anything but numbness slowly ebbing away to true grief.

* * *

Leah's memorial and celebration of life was held on a Tuesday. A very gray, rainy Tuesday.

"Perfect, the weather," I said, gloomily looking outside as the rain seemed to pour down even harder. Bella zipped up Norah's jacket and she turned around, smiling.

"Daddy, let's go!" she said excitedly. Too bad she was too young to understand exactly where we were going.

"Just a second, love," Bella said, reaching for the sling on the couch. She put it over her head and headed into the nursery.

I wondered briefly if Leah was operated the heavens and punishing us all down here for not saving her... having a last say by making her memorial gray, cloudy, rainy, and muddy. Looking up at the sky, I noticed that it was the exact same shade as her wolf had been. Beautiful, yet sad at the same time.

"Ready, Jake?" Bella asked, clutching Rowan to her chest.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said dully. I dutifully took Norah's hand and we ran out to the car, dodging pellets of rain.

* * *

Seth was standing in front of the small table, covered in a black tablecloth, his back turned to us. Sue was sitting in a corner of the room, tears silently trailing down her face. The room was silent in the sort of eerie quietness that makes one shiver to the bone.

"I can take Norah to the nursery where the other children are," Emily whispered, coming over and taking her hand out of mine. I didn't want to let go. I was afraid she wouldn't come back. _Snap out of it, Jake, _I told myself. _No one else is going to die._

Seeming to understand, Bella came up and held my hand. Together, we walked toward Seth, toward the table, toward the thing I least wanted to see. The thing that would make this all seem _real._ I didn't want it to be real. I wanted it to all be a lie. A stupid silly lie that would come back and haunt me. Perhaps Leah was alive somewhere... or perhaps I was too stupid to try to fool myself.

We reached the table and Seth turned around, hearing us approach.

"Jacob, Bella," he said, nodding to each of us. "I heard you finally had the baby," he said softly.

"We figured you were busy with the arrangements," Bella said, nodding. "We didn't want to tear you away from your family at such an important time," she said graciously.

"I'm sure he's beautiful," Seth said, nodding.

Bella pulled back part of the cloth sling and Seth looked in at Rowan.

"He looks more like you," he said to Bella. "He looks like his father, too, but more like you than Norah does."

Bella smiled.

"I must go and comfort Mom," he said, not even glancing at me. My stomach dropped. Was he really this mad at me for hurting Leah? Did he really not want to be friends with me anymore? Or part of the pack for that matter?

Bella seemed to notice my discomfort and took my hand once more. She led me toward the black tableclothed table. I swallowed nervously and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, the contents of the table were right under my nose.

A small plaque with _Leah Mae Clearwater_ etched on it was on the table, a bowl of sand taken from the La Push beach underneath it, complete with seashells and a notebook to one side.

Not even thinking, I opened it and flipped to the first page.

_Today was... hard. Sometimes I don't think they really get the fact that I'm a girl. I mean, sure I know I'm a girl and I _obviously_ look like a girl, but they just treat me like one of the guys. Except for Jacob. I don't know what it is lately, but he seems to have become more of a friend than the others. I know he's completely infatuated with Bella Swan (or is it Cullen?) and I know that he'll never look at me the way he looks at her. I just wish... hell, I don't even know what I wish anymore. I just wish that someone would look at me like that. I wish that he could just forget about the vampire-wannabe and realize that we could be perfect together. Like two sides of the same peanut-butter sandwich._

I flipped through the next few pages, further in time.

_I'm so stupid. So, so incredibly stupid. I know Jake loves Bella. Obviously, considering they just got married. So why did I have to get him to kiss me? To make myself feel better? To make myself think I'm _worth_ something? I don't even know anymore. I'm just so lost... and confused. Just because I love him doesn't mean I have to ruin things for him. I guess the best way to show him that I love him is to let him be happy and take the higher road, even if it kills me._

I couldn't read that part anymore. I flipped forward a whole bunch, realizing that Bella's eyes were locked on me as I read.

_What the hell is wrong with me? Not only do I have the selfish stupidity in me to go and vindictively get pregnant on purpose with a married man's baby, I have the selfishness to pretend that nothing is wrong at all. I've been walking around the last few days here at the Makah reservation, acting like everything's just peachy and perfect. Like hell it is. Mindy's been eyeing me the last few days, noticing that I've been getting sick right and left. I know she's going to ask me if I'm pregnant soon... she's probably just waiting on the right time to do it. But I know one thing. I WILL NOT RUIN JACOB'S LIFE. This was my stupid, drunken, foolish, disrespectful bitch of a decision and the only way to fix it is to pass the baby off as David's. I will live here as a Makah because it's the only decision I have. The only way to keep Jacob's life intact is to stay away from him._

Bella pulled the notebook away from me and sat it back down on the table, leaning up to kiss my cheek. I shook my head, trying to clear Leah's confusion and hurt out of my thoughts. This wasn't what I needed to read right now. I needed to think. I needed to mourn my child without Leah's thoughts and feelings clouding my healing process. Sure, I'd like to know how she was feeling in a few years, but definitely not now. Not while I was a mess like this.

I turned around and saw Sue standing behind me.

"Jacob," she whispered, coming over and hugging me tightly. I froze. I didn't know what to do or what to think. Before I could wrap my mind around everything that was going on, she spoke.

"Jacob, I am so sorry for everything that's happened. But I do want you to know that my daughter truly loved you, regardless of the severity of the decisions she made. I think she would want you to know that," she said, nodding.

"Sue, with all due respect, I'm married and I love my wife. Leah was always just a friend. She knew that."

"Just because she knew it doesn't mean she had to understand it," Sue said sadly. "I know that you and Bella are married and I respect that. You know I love you two - "

"But you loved your daughter more," Bella interrupted. "Leah was a good person who let her intentions and own personal desires get the best of her. She got pregnant with my husband's baby behind my back and Jacob did not have any part of that decision. She drugged him and got pregnant with his baby in the hopes that he would leave me for her. But it didn't work, Sue. And now look. Leah and the baby are both gone and Jacob and I are still married. Getting pregnant with Jacob's baby made her a target, Sue. And she tried to run when we were attacked and Irina got the best of her."

"Bella!" I hushed her, not wanting to hear anymore. "I don't want to hear anymore of this," I said. And with that, I took the notebook off of the table and left, running back out into the rain, away from the enclosing walls of the tribal center.

I spent the next two hours sitting in the same spot Leah had taken her last breaths, flipping through her journal, trying to understand... trying to comprehend...

* * *

When I finally returned to the house, Bella had dinner on the table. Rowan was asleep in his nursery and Norah was eating at the table. Bella was standing at the window, staring outside, waiting for my return I supposed.

"I'm sorry for running off," I said, tossing the journal into the top of the coat closet.

"I'm sorry for not considering your feelings," Bella sighed. "It just hurts that Leah got pregnant and then died right when Rowan was born. It's almost as if she not only stole my thunder, but she stole his as well."

"It's not about stealing anyone's thunder. A wolf has died, Bells. And whether you liked her or not, it affects all of us. Especially me, since she was carrying my child."

"I know," Bella said, walking over to me and giving me a hug. "And I'm sorry."

I nodded, my eyes clamped tightly shut, squeezing away the tears once more.

"Jake, if you need to cry, then cry. No one will think any the less of you."

I bit my bottom lip before answering.

"Okay."

I kissed Bella softly before heading toward our bedroom.

I loved my wife and our children. And no one would ever be able to take that away from me. I would keep them safe from every single threat that came near them. I would be the best father and husband that my family deserved... because after everything that they had been through the last year, that's the least I could do.

_~fin~_

* * *

_I know this was short, but I wanted to have a decent ending that would lead into the third installment of the trilogy. _

_First of all, I would like to thank my lovely reviewers. Without you, I would not have had the strength to get through this story. There were so many times where I really didn't want to come to the computer and type, simply because I didn't have the time or the patience. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off of you and for putting up with my crazy zaniness! I love you guys so much!_

_Secondly, I would like to thank my friends over at Fanforum. You guys have been amazing! Thanks for letting me post updates there and for the ridiculous amounts of enthusiasm that I have received over the last few months! I've made so many friends and I can't wait to talk about my ideas for the final chapter of this series!_

_And FINALLY, I would like to wish all of my readers a happy Eclipse-release EVE! I'm not going to be able to see it for a bit, so I hope you guys really like it! I'm not really sure if I want to see Jacob get his heart broken... :(_

_Anyways, after this long awaited finale, I'm going to go get a cookie, pat myself on the back, and get to work on Part III._

_Much love,_  
_xoxo_


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